Retired US colonel calls Trump to accept Russian victory in Ukraine to end war

Retired US Army Colonel Douglas MacGregor, a former senior adviser to the Secretary of Defense under the Trump administration, has argued that the US President Donald Trump should acknowledge Russia’s advances in Ukraine and pursue a negotiated settlement.

In an interview with Daniel Davis’s Deep Dive, MacGregor said that President Trump could have declared the war over, acknowledging Russian victory, but has not done so. He suggested that it is ultimately up to European nations to engage with Ukraine and “make that very clear” to Kyiv, Caliber.Az reports. 

“You know, the most important thing that President Trump could have done, he still has not done, is to say, look, the war is over. Russia has won. It's time to sit down and come to terms with reality,” he said. 

MacGregor also described the ongoing war as “a complete waste of time” and highlighted Russia’s continued military buildup, noting that Moscow has recently mobilised several hundred thousand additional troops and expanded its military capabilities.

“Russia just called up another few hundred thousand men, their force continues to increase in size and capacity and scope and power. Who are we kidding? Nothing like that is happening in the West. It would take a decade or more for the West to even come close,” he stressed.

He warned that a “sobering event” might be necessary to shift the West’s approach, though it has not occurred yet.

By Sabina Mammadli