In part one of our exclusive interview, Kyiv Post speaks to Alexander Vindman, a retired United States Army lieutenant colonel and former Director for European Affairs for the United States National Security Council (NSC).
Originally from Kyiv, a naturalized US citizen, and a career officer, Vindman served in the Army infantry and received a Purple Heart medal for wounds he received from an IED attack in the Iraq War in 2004. In October 2019, he testified to Congress about President Donald Trump’s attempts to influence US foreign policy with false narratives about Ukraine.
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Trump was subsequently impeached, and Vindman’s decision to testify is thought by some to have ended his military career. Vindman’s book about his role in the Trump-Ukraine scandal, Here Right Matters, is currently a bestseller.
Vindman was in Kyiv to assess the situation in Ukraine, and to raise public awareness of future U.S. support needed by Ukraine. He is enrolled in a Doctorate program at Johns Hopkins University.
Stefan Korshak, Kyiv Post Senior Defense Correspondent, served a single tour in the U.S. Army as an Intelligence branch officer. A professional journalist, he has reported from five wars, most recently the ongoing Russo-Ukraine conflict. The following is the first part of a two-part interview by Korshak of Vindman.
Key interview takeaways:
- The Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) are more badly damaged, and less capable of offensive operations, than hoped, Ukraine needs time and resources to rebuild its forces;
- The next six months will likely see no major changes of fighting lines, but UAF ability to strike targets of the Russian rear area will become a “nightmare” for the Kremlin;
- US administrations, both Democratic and Republican have repeatedly, over three decades, have missed opportunities to support Ukraine meaningfully, due to the misplaced hope of good relations with Russia.
- Logistics will be critical in this war.
- Bulletpoints have messed up on that for some reason
