Former CG USArmyEurope, loves the Army Team, FSU football and Atlanta Braves!

Joined October 2018
I have read dozens of outraged posts because the US special envoy Witkoff called Putin a "humanist." But no one is writing about the fact that the American negotiators are simply not doing their job. Let me explain. Peace negotiations are important in their own right. Even if they do not lead to a lasting peace, the process itself is an opportunity to resolve urgent humanitarian issues. If, of course, the human dimension is a priority for the negotiators. But it is entirely obvious that neither Witkoff nor Kushner cares about people's fates in this war. The Pope calls on Putin to save thousands of people from starvation in occupied Oleshky and the surrounding villages. The UN speaks about a humanitarian catastrophe and asks Russia to allow the evacuation of the civilian population. European Parliament Vice-President Pina Picierno goes on a hunger strike to draw attention to this tragedy unfolding before the eyes of the whole world. And what are Witkoff and Kushner doing? That's right, almost nothing. Except for passing along greetings from Putin’s aide to the First Lady. Thousands of people are already eating grass to survive and begging to save their lives. The Ukrainian side raises the issue of Oleshky at every meeting. And I can name dozens of such urgent humanitarian issues off the top of my head where American negotiators must be proactive. Trump’s peace negotiations have already gone down in history as the deadliest years for Ukraine’s civilian population since the start of the full-scale invasion. I don’t know if anyone will remember the names of Witkoff and Kushner. But history will certainly record how American negotiators, who had the opportunity to save a huge number of people, refused to raise uncomfortable questions before "humanist Putin."
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Ben Hodges retweeted
🇷🇺🇪🇺 Ben Hodges doesn’t think NATO is slowly being dragged into confrontation with Russia. He thinks the confrontation is already happening. Not as tanks crossing borders, but through drones, sabotage, disinformation and attacks that keep creeping closer to NATO territory. His concern is that Russia is becoming more willing to take risks because the West still hasn’t found a way to impose meaningful consequences. And shooting down the occasional drone, he argues, doesn’t solve that. Hodges wants a much harder response: frozen assets, seized shadow-fleet vessels, visa restrictions and shutting down Russian footholds used for pressure operations. His warning is simple: Every time the West leaves space through inaction, Russia gets a little more comfortable filling it. @general_ben
🇺🇸🇺🇦 Ben Hodges thinks Trump is deliberately squeezing Zelensky. Not through speeches. Through weapons, intelligence and support Ukraine actually needs. Asked whether delays involving Patriots, Starlink and intelligence are being used to pressure Kyiv into accepting a deal, Hodges was unequivocal: “That’s exactly what’s happening.” His fear is that Washington wants a settlement badly enough that Ukraine itself becomes secondary. Hodges points to talk of Trump, Putin and Xi discussing Ukraine without Ukraine at the table as the clearest warning sign. His comparison is brutal: Great powers carving up smaller countries as if we’re back in the 18th century. And if Europe can’t stop that, it may be the one left dealing with the consequences. @general_ben
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Ben Hodges retweeted
🇺🇸🇮🇷 Ben Hodges thinks a third U.S. aircraft carrier would be very hard to explain as simple pressure. His point is that moving that much naval power into the region is enormously expensive, requires a much wider logistical buildup, and even pulls assets away from the Pacific. So while he stresses this is speculation, Hodges thinks the deployment would raise the odds of another U.S. military operation against Iran. And timing may be the key. He believes Washington could be waiting until after the election, partly because another strike now would risk sending oil and diesel prices even higher. His broader read is pretty stark: America may already be too committed to simply walk away. @general_ben
🇺🇸🇮🇷🇺🇦 General Ben Hodges: America is preparing for another round with Iran while Ukraine is being left exposed. I spoke with retired U.S. Army General Ben Hodges about two wars that are putting American foreign policy under enormous strain. Reports suggest Washington is sending a third aircraft carrier and thousands of additional personnel to the Middle East. Hodges believes that kind of buildup goes well beyond diplomatic pressure. He suspects another operation against Iran is being prepared, potentially after the U.S. midterms. And he thinks the Iran war was a catastrophic mistake. But our sharpest disagreement came over Ukraine. Hodges accused the Trump administration of pressuring Zelensky into accepting territorial concessions, pointing to reports of delayed Patriot deliveries and allegations of withheld intelligence. I pushed back on his argument that Ukraine could still recover all its territory. Not because I believe Russia should keep it, but because any realistic strategy has to account for how Putin might respond to losing it. Hodges wasn't having it. He believes the West has never seriously committed the resources needed for Ukraine to win. What concerns me is that America may be preparing to intensify one war while its commitments in another are becoming increasingly uncertain. And with NATO now reinforcing surveillance in the Black Sea after attacks on civilian shipping, neither conflict is becoming easier to contain. @general_ben
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Shameful. Over a thousand Allied Soldiers were killed in Afghanistan fighting alongside US Soldiers and Marines. Why would the Secretary think it was appropriate to disparage our Allies in front of these young Cadets, future Officers?
Hegseth on Afghanistan: I was a captain in Afghanistan, and we would go to the headquarters in Kabul, and there would be 50 flags at the headquarters. It was a beautiful thing to see 50 different countries contributing to the NATO alliance and the ISAF mission there. Except there were like maybe five that contributed. It was actually closer to one or two that, by the end, were actually involved in kinetic operations. In fact, the ISAF patch, we would joke that it meant "I Saw Americans Fighting."
Readers added context they thought people might want to know
Over 1100 non-American soldiers from 31 US-allied countries were killed fighting in Afghanistan, approximately 1/3 of the total combat deaths. t.co/x4tGhxJiFG
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Admiral McRaven: "Our current leaders are shameless and ignoble. They have no sense of dignity or honor. They seem to believe that the performance of curel power is what makes a nation great: the spectacle, the show, the crude theatrics of a tough guy. Nothing could be further from the truth." theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/1…
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We need Gang of 8 brief, order to retain all records, full IG probe, hearings, etc. - just too important to sweep under by Rubio. If the USG (anyone, Musk, WH or DoD) deliberately withheld a force protection measure that ended up killing Ukrainians, and putting US personnel at Embassy Kyiv and American citizens in Ukraine at risk, that is a very big deal.
Not helping the situation that no one outside the DoD itself seems to understand Starlink and Starshield/MILNET/SDN-B, or what Ukraine has access to.
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Ben Hodges retweeted
It's all been bullshit. All of it. Diesel, energy deals, peace negotiations, everything between Trump Co. and Putin's mafia is a charade. All they're doing is laundering money and trying to lift sanctions. It's all they care about and all they know how to do.
The Trump/Putin deal gets worse. According to reports, the US was also offering $100 billion of frozen assets (that are in the custody of the EU) in exchange for a limited ceasefire. kyivpost.com/post/86720
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Ben Hodges retweeted
"Ukraine should not expend energy trying to please the United States," said Ben Hodges [@general_ben], former commander of the U.S. Army Europe, in the latest episode of Ukraine This Week. Hodges says Europe should step up its military and intelligence support for Ukraine to fill in the gaps left by the U.S. and argues that Ukraine is fighting for its survival and shouldn't waste time trying to please the Trump administration. Watch the full episode: youtu.be/83Lk9Zb0gV8
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He’s an apologist for Putin and the Russian invasion. It’s an embarrassment.
Q: Russia hit 6 energy sites yesterday. What evidence do you have-- TRUMP: Well, Ukraine hit many sites the day before
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Ben Hodges retweeted
Fmr. Commanding General of United States Army Europe Ben Hodges @general_ben says Reagan was right about Russia He says that the Russians will never live up to any agreement unless there is someone there forcing them to do it Ukraine needs the West’s support
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Dear @AmbDanFried there is no way this is legit. Trump announced this agreement without Ukraine agreeing to it.
Excellent development. If confirmed, implemented, and maintained.
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Gut-wrenching description by @jaynordlinger of what the Trump Administration has done to our Nation's Capital. Our Nation’s Capital in the Time of Trump open.substack.com/pub/thenex…
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Someone just did the math: 93 million gallons of diesel will supply the us needs for 13 hours. lol. Moral victory for Putin with no benefits
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We are now allied with Russia to lower the price of diesel that is sky high because of our war against Iran, who is being supported by…. Russia Do i have that right?
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Best analysis I have read about this so-called diesel deal between Putin and Trump. It’s not about diesel, it’s about Trump people getting into business with Russia for their own benefit while blaming Ukraine for attacking Russian refineries. phillipspobrien.substack.com…
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Ben Hodges retweeted
I don't get it. I thought Ukraine blew up so much Russian diesel there was a shortage in the world and prices increased as a result. How can now Russia now export enough Diesel to lower the prices?
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