Condoleezza Rice: Putin getting more ‘desperate'

The Hill

3 days ago

Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in a Wednesday interview that Russian President Vladimir Putin's behavior is growing increasingly 'desperate' as his war against Ukraine continues three years after Russia's attempted takeover of its Eastern European neighbor.
'He seems to be more out of control than he used to be,' she told Fox News host Brian Kilmeade. 'He was always an imperialist, but there is something about him now that seems almost more desperate in wanting to extinguish Ukraine.'
Ukraine dealt a stunning blow to the Kremlin's military over the weekend, using smuggled drones to target bombers on air bases deep inside Russian territory.
Rice, who served across both terms of former President George W. Bush's administration, called Kyiv's strike 'extraordinary' in using 'relatively cheap drones' to take out expensive Russian bombers that have steadily rained down attacks on Ukraine.
'It shows that the Ukrainians are very advanced in what they are doing in their defense industry with the building of these drones and an employment strategy for them,' she told Kilmeade. 'Hopefully, they can get a ceasefire, but this also shows that the Ukrainians can hold at risk things that Putin cares about, and that more than anything will eventually get him to the table.'
'I do think there's a little part of Vladimir Putin that recognizes particularly that the energy infrastructure in Russia is degrading and that he would be better off to stop this war, but it's being overcome by that other Putin who still thinks he can extinguish Ukraine,' she added.
Ukraine's security services reported that 41 Russian aircraft were destroyed or damaged in the sneak attack, though Russian military sources have argued that the figure is much lower.
But Rice said the move demonstrates a shift in the war that has likely left Putin on shaky ground.
'It is an incredible intelligence coup,' she said. 'Vladimir Putin is undoubtedly now wondering whether there was an inside job.'
'You're probably going to see a witch hunt in Russia as he tries to figure out who did this inside,' she added.
Putin, a former Russian intelligence officer who has been in power for more than two decades, has a long record of silencing and even allegedly ordering assassinations of his detractors and defectors.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has haled the outcome of his country's drone strike against Russia, dubbed 'Operation Spider Web,' as an 'absolutely brilliant' effort from his country acting alone.
'A result achieved solely by Ukraine. One year, six months, and nine days from the start of planning to effective execution. Our most long-range operation,' Zelensky wrote on the social platform X after it was carried out.
President Trump, who has had wavering relationships with both Putin and Zelensky as the U.S. has attempted to broker peace between the two countries, reportedly was not notified ahead of Ukraine's drone strike.
Rice said she thinks the Trump administration should hold firm with Putin as the U.S. continues to facilitate ongoing peace talks.
'I would urge that if these talks are going nowhere, if Vladimir Putin is playing along, hoping that he can just keep this war, this kind of 19th century war going, that we will help the Ukrainians and let them buy the weapons from us and from Europe,' she said. 'Making very clear to (Putin) that he's not going to get his maximalist claims is extremely important at this point.'