The founder of US military contractor Blackwater says the West must “pull the plug” on Ukraine and accept the Donbass region and Crimea as Russian territories.
Erik Prince, the founder of US private military company Blackwater, called for an immediate end to the Ukraine conflict, asserting that the West cannot match Russia’s military capabilities, in a recent interview for the PBD podcast.
Prince, who served as the CEO of Blackwater until 2009, expressed doubts about the ability of Kiev and its Western allies to prevail in the ongoing war, now entering its third year.
“We need to bring this war to a close because all Ukraine is doing right now is destroying itself demographically,” Prince argued.
He highlighted that the hostilities are consuming the next generation of Ukrainian manpower, making it nearly impossible to replace. Moreover, he dismissed the idea of Western forces outperforming the Russian defense industry, calling the Western defense base “pathetic”.
Russian economy resilient
The Russian Economic Development Ministry on Wednesday reported that the country’s GDP has increased by 4.6% in annual terms in January from 4.4% in December
“According to the estimate of the Russian Ministry of Economic Development, in January 2024, the GDP exceeded the level of last year by 4.6% year-on-year compared to the 4.4% growth in December,” the Ministry said in a report.
The report added that the annual inflation in Russia stood at 7.58% as of February 26, slightly higher than the 7.57% recorded a week earlier.
“From February 20-26, 2024, dynamics of consumer prices amounted to 0.13%, year–on–year – 7.58%,” the report noted.
According to Prince, an “ugly peace” and a freeze in hostilities would be a more prudent option for both Kiev and its Western supporters than pursuing an idealized war. He suggested letting Russia retain control over Crimea, Donetsk, and Lugansk, regions that have faced conflicts and held referenda to join Russia.
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, seemed to echo Prince’s sentiments. Responding to Prince’s statements on X (formerly Twitter), Musk wrote, “Unfortunately, that is true.”
source: AlMayadeen
