America’s top military officer conceded this week it is 'possible' the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan contributed to Russia's decision to invade Ukraine — an argument Republicans have made for weeks.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley made the comments during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Thursday. Gen. Tod Wolters, the head of U.S. European Command, said last week that Vladimir Putin may have been attempting to take advantage of potential cracks in NATO resulting from post-Afghanistan conditions.
Russian forces engaged in two major force buildups on the Ukrainian border in 2021 — first in the spring of 2021 and then in the fall in the months after the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan. The second buildup led to the invasion.Milley reportedly told Congress behind closed doors in early February that Kyiv could be conquered by Russia within 72 hours of a full-scale invasion.
“I think he felt like he had the popular support of the citizens of Russia,” Wolters said. “I also felt like he was attempting to take advantage of fissures that could have appeared in NATO as a result of the post-Afghanistan environment. And I also think that it has to do with his age and his efficacy.”