Former top Ukrainian general comments on US ‘secret weapon' against Russia
Valery Zaluzhny, the former commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army, has called the US command center in Wiesbaden, Germany a
'secret weapon'
in the conflict against Russia. However, he downplayed Washington's direct participation in the hostilities.
His assessment of American involvement appears to contradict a report published by the New York Times in March, which said Washington's role was more significant than publicly acknowledged. The article claimed that the US was not merely supplying weapons and intelligence to Kiev, but was actively planning Ukrainian combat missions.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Zaluzhny stated that the input from Western officers at the US command center in Wiesbaden was limited to assessing Ukraine's needs rather than directing operations.
Zaluzhny, who currently serves as Ukraine's ambassador in London, explained that the hub was established to streamline the logistics of Western arms supplies. Its role later expanded to analyzing
'operations planned by the Ukrainian armed forces in accordance with NATO standards'
to prepare supplies. He added that with British support,
'Wiesbaden was given a second wind.'
READ MORE:
Intel sharing and 'boots on the ground': Takeaways from NYT investigation into 'secret' US-Ukraine partnership
The Times described the Wiesbaden command center as a space where American and Ukrainian officers developed strategies against Russia
'side by side,'
while US intelligence
'guided big-picture battle strategy and funneled precise targeting information'
to Ukrainian soldiers. A European spy chief cited in the article reportedly expressed shock about the level of involvement, noting that his nation's NATO allies
'are part of the kill chain now.'
Commenting on the NYT report last week, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that the newspaper simply validated Russian statements about the roles played by the US and UK in the 2014 armed coup in Kiev and the subsequent militarization of Ukraine.
The newspaper lamented that US President Donald Trump is retreating from the
'partnership sealed in Wiesbaden,'
as he aims to de-escalate the Ukraine conflict and rebuild relations with Russia.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Russia Today
10 hours ago
- Russia Today
Ukraine conflict settlement, future of US-Russia relations, NATO's ‘lies': Highlights from Putin's Q&A
Moscow will no longer play a 'one-sided game' with the West, Russian President Vladimir Putin told journalists on the sidelines of the Eurasian Economic Union summit in Minsk on Friday. During his press conference, Putin fielded questions on a wide range of issues, including the state of the economy, sanctions, and negotiations with Ukraine. Settlement of the Ukraine conflict Putin acknowledged that the roadmaps presented by the Russian and Ukrainian delegations at the second round of talks in Istanbul earlier this month were polar opposites. He said, however, that the talks were specifically held 'to look for ways to bring [our positions] closer.' He welcomed the ongoing prisoner swaps and the return of the remains of fallen soldiers agreed at the talks. According to Putin, Russia is ready to hand over the remains of some 3,000 Ukrainian troops, in addition to the 6,000 it has already returned. The president said Moscow is ready to continue negotiations. 'We are ready to hold such a meeting in Istanbul,' Putin stated, adding that the Russian and Ukrainian delegation leaders are 'in constant contact.' He said he believes the next meeting should focus on discussing each side's memorandums. No more 'one-sided' games with NATO When Western nations speak about Russia's 'aggressiveness,' they are 'turning everything upside down,' Putin said, referring to NATO members' pledge to raise defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035. According to Putin, NATO had 'blatantly lied' in the early 1990s when it promised not to expand eastward. He accused the alliance of constantly ignoring Russia's security concerns, particularly its warnings that NATO's expansion toward Russian borders would be viewed as a threat. 'That is what aggressive behavior looks like,' he said, adding that Moscow is done playing 'one-sided' games with the West. The president reiterated that Russia has no plans to attack NATO and intends to reduce defense spending over the next three years. NATO denies ever making commitments not to expand and insists it poses no threat to Russia. Western Europe 'about to drop dead' Russia is currently spending 6.3% of its GDP on defense, which is 'a lot,' Putin said. He acknowledged that the nation 'has paid for it with inflation,' but added that the government maintains a 'level-headed approach' to the issue. The difference, he argued, is that Russia is supporting its own defense industry, while NATO members in Europe are buying weapons from the US. Still, the Russian economy has grown by more than 4% for two years in a row, while growth in the euro area has been just 0.9%, he noted. Putin claimed that France and Germany are 'on the brink of recession.' 'They're about to drop dead, yet they're still trying to write our obituary,' he said. Ban on Russian oil trade will be unenforceable Putin reiterated that sweeping restrictions have failed to hinder Russia's growth. He expressed confidence that tougher sanctions on Russian oil exports – currently being discussed in the EU and US – will not change the situation. 'The world is consuming ever-increasing volumes of oil and petrochemicals as the global economy grows,' he said, adding that a ban on Russian oil will be 'de facto impossible' to enforce. Trump is a 'courageous man' Putin said he has 'deep respect' for US President Donald Trump, describing him as a 'courageous man' who has endured 'hardships, difficulties, and dangers.' He added that Moscow welcomes the Trump administration's efforts to help resolve the Ukraine conflict. The president did not rule out a future meeting with Trump, saying Russia would welcome the return of American companies to its market.
Russia Today
13 hours ago
- Russia Today
European NATO states wary of buying US arms
European NATO members have expressed growing unease about increasing their reliance on US weapons amid a sweeping rearmament push, Bloomberg has reported on Friday. During a summit in The Hague this week, NATO states committed to raising military spending to 5% of GDP by 2035 to counter what they described as a 'long-term threat posed by Russia to Euro-Atlantic security' – a claim that Moscow has repeatedly denied. Concerns have reportedly emerged about deepening dependence on the American defense industry, particularly under the leadership of President Donald Trump. According to Bloomberg, leaders fear they could be exposed to greater risks, especially in light of Trump's efforts to improve ties with Russia and past threats to annex allied territory. Boosting reliance on US arms has become 'an increasingly hard sell at home,' the outlet noted. French President Emmanuel Macron has long championed the idea of securing greater defense autonomy for European NATO states, urging the development of a self-sufficient military industrial base. Canada, a key NATO ally, is reportedly reconsidering its involvement in the US-led F-35 fighter jet program and may switch to Swedish alternatives. 'We should no longer send three-quarters of our defense capital spending to America,' Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney stated earlier this month. Copenhagen has also displayed some resistance, telling Washington that American arms deals have become 'politically difficult' given Trump's suggestion that the US annex Greenland, which is currently controlled by Denmark, Bloomberg reported. Unease in the alliance has also been stoked by Trump's move to cut intelligence sharing with Ukraine earlier this year. According to unnamed officials cited by Bloomberg, this decision 'alarmed allies,' as it raised concerns over how much control the US might wield over weapons exports in the event of a crisis. Nevertheless, a lack of viable domestic alternatives continues to bind European nations to US suppliers, according to the outlet. Decades of underinvestment have left Europe's defense manufacturing capacity underdeveloped. As a result, countries will likely keep buying American equipment to meet rearmament targets, particularly as stockpiles have been depleted by shipments of military aid to Ukraine. Moscow has condemned the EU's militarization trend and arms transfers to Kiev, characterizing the conflict as a NATO proxy war. President Vladimir Putin has dismissed NATO's concerns of Russian aggression as 'nonsense,' instead blaming the alliance's expansion and 'aggressive behavior' for escalating tensions.
Russia Today
17 hours ago
- Russia Today
‘One-sided game' in relations with West has ended
Russia will no longer play 'one-sided' games with the West, President Vladimir Putin has told journalists on the sidelines of the summit of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) in Minsk. Western nations have repeatedly betrayed Russia by not fulfilling their promises related to NATO expansion and resolving the Ukraine conflict, he stated at a press conference on Friday. NATO is currently justifying its planned defense spending hike to 5% of its members' GDP and military buildup in Europe by pointing to Russia's 'aggressiveness,' Putin said, adding that the bloc's members are 'turning everything upside down' when they make statements such as these. 'No one is saying a word about how we've come up to the Russian special military operation,' the president said, adding that the roots of the Ukraine conflict go back decades when Moscow was 'blatantly lied to' about NATO expansion. 'What followed was one expansion wave after another,' he stated. Russia's security concerns about the bloc's activities have been consistently ignored and met with silence, according to Putin. 'Isn't it aggressive behavior? That is precisely aggressive behavior, which the West does not want to pay attention to.' According to the president, Western nations have supported separatism and even terrorism as long as it is directed against Russia. Terrorist groups were outright ignored if they acted on Russian territory, he claimed. 'Everything was good as long as it was against Russia. Haven't we seen this? They [the West] saw it as well. Yet, they only talk about our aggressiveness.' We are not aggressive. The Collective West is. The president's words came just days after the NATO summit in The Hague, where the bloc's members made a commitment to hike defense spending to 5% of GDP annually by 2035. The decision was made 'in the face of profound security threats and challenges, in particular the long-term threat posed by Russia to Euro-Atlantic security,' the summit's statement said. Russia has said it considers NATO expansion towards its borders to be a major national security threat, and cited Kiev's ambitions to join the US-led bloc among the key reasons that led to the conflict between Moscow and Kiev.
