McMaster urges West to do now “what we would do after Putin kills a million people”

Former White House National Security Adviser HR McMaster expects President Biden and European leaders to meeting in Brussels on Thursday, find ways to increase pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin before the number of innocent Ukrainians killed in the war reaches an unthinkable level.

If Russian forces continue bombing population centers in Ukraine, they could kill a million people and force another 10 million to flee their country, McMaster told CBS Mornings on Thursday.

“So I think what’s really important, and I hope that’s what’s happening in Brussels right now, is, let’s do what we’re going to do right now after Putin kills a million people,” he said. retired.

More than 10 million Ukrainians, or nearly a quarter of the population, have been displaced since Russia invaded their country last month, a UN official said this week. Some 3.5 million of them have fled to other countries, according to the UN

McMaster, who is also a foreign policy and national security contributor to CBS News, called the situation a “humanitarian catastrophe” and warned that Putin could go even further if he does not stop.

“It looks like we’re in 1939, when Poland was under assault,” McMaster said.

“Our goals should be [to] Make sure Vladimir Putin fails because if he doesn’t fail in Ukraine, that’s not the end of it, “he said.

Despite the growing death toll, McMaster said he believes Ukraine could win the war “absolutely” even without NATO support, in part because Russia has “already failed” in its original goal.

“They failed in their initial goals, trying to subdue all of Ukraine. They didn’t have the strength, and what they’ve shown is really a high degree of military incompetence,” McMaster said.

“They’ve done a pretty simple job again, which is just tearing down cities, bombing cities, and killing innocent civilians,” he said. “And that’s really what NATO needs to focus on … What’s important is to ensure that the Russian military can no longer bomb cities and cause mass casualties to innocent people with impunity.”

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• Joe Biden
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