Scott Ritter: Ukraine Is Being DESTROYED And Pentagon Papers Prove It

Introduction

In this section, the host introduces Scott Ritter, a former weapons inspector for the United Nations and a proud Marine. They discuss the Russia-Ukraine war, the United States, and Congress repealing the Iraq War.

Introducing Scott Ritter

• The host introduces Scott Ritter as a former weapons inspector for the United Nations and a proud Marine.

• They discuss topics such as the Russia-Ukraine war, the United States, and Congress repealing the Iraq War.

China's involvement in Ukraine conflict

In this section, they discuss China's involvement in Ukraine conflict. Ray McGovern believes that before Olympics last year Putin went to China to get permission and unofficial backing of China to launch special military operation against Ukraine.

Ray McGovern's Belief

• Ray McGovern believes that before Olympics last year Putin went to China to get permission and unofficial backing of China to launch special military operation against Ukraine.

• He thinks that China would back them through purchases but say they are neutral in front of media and world.

Scott Ritter's Thoughts on China's Involvement

• Scott Ritter believes that China has been an uninvited guest in this conflict from the very beginning.

• He mentions how Joe Biden advised Putin to reconsider his relationship with China during their summit meeting in Geneva Switzerland.

• He explains how relationships are built on personal relationships between national leaders.

• He gives examples of how Putin celebrates his birthday with Zee (Chinese President).

Personal Relationship Between Russian & Chinese Presidents

In this section, they talk about how personal relationships between national leaders play an important role in building meaningful relationships. They also discuss the relationship between Putin and Zee (Chinese President).

Personal Relationship Between National Leaders

• Scott Ritter explains how personal relationships between national leaders play an important role in building meaningful relationships.

• He gives examples of how Putin celebrates his birthday with Zee (Chinese President).

• He mentions that this is something far more significant than the relationship between Barack Obama and Angela Merkel.

Relationship Between Putin and Zee

• Scott Ritter explains that the relationship between Putin and Zee is reflective of the fact that Russia and China understand that together they grow stronger.

• He mentions that this is a relationship that predates the conflict in Ukraine.

Joint Statement by Russia & China

In this section, they discuss the joint statement made by Russia and China during their meeting. They also talk about how such statements are crafted months in advance.

Joint Statement Made by Russia & China

• Scott Ritter talks about the 5,000-word joint statement made by Russia and China during their meeting.

• He mentions that crafting such a statement takes months of coordination between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of both countries.

• He believes that nothing happens on the spur of the moment when dealing with communications between national leaders.

Russia and China's Relationship

This section discusses the relationship between Russia and China, which is described as an alliance that is stronger than a traditional alliance due to its lack of limitations.

The Nature of the Relationship

• The partnership between Russia and China was formed after diplomatic efforts with the United States failed.

• The relationship is described as an "alliance" that has no limits or restrictions on its direction.

• This unique aspect of the relationship allows for greater flexibility and freedom compared to traditional alliances.

Update on Battle in Bakmut

This section provides an update on the ongoing battle in Bakmut, Ukraine.

Current Status of the Battle

• Russia claims to have captured the administrative center of Bakmut.

• However, there are still Ukrainian soldiers fighting in the area, so victory cannot be declared yet.

• While it is likely that Russia will win this battle, declaring victory too soon can be problematic if fighting continues.

The Battle for Bakmut

In this section, the speaker discusses the ongoing battle for Bakmut and shares his thoughts on the strategies being employed by both sides.

Warriors' Instinct

• The speaker, a former Marine, believes that telling soldiers to dig in and hold their ground is not an effective strategy.

• He argues that warriors want to close with and destroy their enemy through firepower maneuver.

• The speaker questions why the Russians have not closed the cauldron yet, suggesting that it may be due to the Ukrainians fighting hard to prevent them from doing so.

• He notes that seeking a double envelopment is not something an enemy does lightly and suggests that if they are doing so, they will not stop willingly.

Russian Strategy

• The speaker hesitates to say that Russia's failure to close the cauldron is by design because he believes that Wagner (a Russian private military company) wants to get up close with and destroy their enemy.

• He notes incremental advances made by Wagner every day but acknowledges that Ukrainian reinforcements are making it difficult for them to bring in pincers.

• The speaker believes that Russia is fighting just as hard as Ukraine and does not see them sitting back smoking cigars.

The Significance of the Battle for Bakmut

In this section, the speaker discusses how significant the battle for Bakmut is and shares his thoughts on President Zelinski's comments about its importance.

Decisive Battle

• The speaker agrees with President Zelinski's assessment that this battle is much bigger than what Lloyd Austin (US Secretary of Defense) is willing to admit.

• He notes that when any military throws 30% of their combat capacity into a single battle, it is a decisive battle and probably the decisive battle of the war.

Pressure on Ukraine

• The speaker agrees with Zelinski that if he loses Bakmut, he would be placed under tremendous pressure to negotiate an end to the conflict that won't be to the satisfaction of Ukraine.

• He disagrees with Zelinski's assertion that Putin is receiving pressure from Latin America, Africa, China or anywhere else to influence the pace of the battle.

Russia's Objectives and NATO Expansion

In this section, the speaker discusses Russia's objectives and how they relate to Ukraine. They also talk about NATO expansion and its impact on Finland and Sweden.

Putin's Objectives

• Putin has set out objectives for his generals to achieve.

• There is no timeline linked to these objectives.

• Both sides are loose in this conflict, which can result in a lot of casualties.

NATO Expansion

• The United States promised that NATO would not expand one inch closer to Russia many years ago.

• However, multiple countries have been added since then, with talks of adding Ukraine as well.

• This has caused tension between Russia and NATO.

• Finland and Sweden are now seriously considering joining NATO, which could lead to an escalation of tensions in the area.

Impact on Finland and Sweden

• If Finland or Sweden becomes a member of NATO, Article 5 protections apply.

• Russia will not attack a member of NATO but has said that the free ride is over.

• The Russians are building a 70,000 strong Army Corps in Karelia that puts Helsinki at risk if there is a conflict.

• If Finland wants to maintain its current level of military activity fine but if they start bringing NATO infrastructure into Finland that changes the strategic picture.

Conclusion

The speaker believes that there is no reason for Finland and Sweden to join NATO as it poses no threat to them whatsoever. Joining an alliance that is in conflict with Russia worsens their national security posture.

Finland's History and Russia's Concerns

This section discusses the history of Finland and its relationship with Russia. It also explains why Russia is concerned about Finland joining NATO.

Finland's History

• 200 years ago, Finland was under Swedish and Russian rule.

• During World War I, Finland was part of the Russian Empire but broke away during the Russian Revolution.

• In 1939, there was a Winter War fought between Finland and Russia. Eventually, the Russians compelled them to surrender in early 1940.

• In 1941, when Germany invaded the Soviet Union, Finland joined and participated in the Siege of Leningrad where a million Soviet citizens died.

• When the war ended, Russia allowed Finland to be independent but required them to be neutral forever.

Russia's Concerns

• Given Finland's track record of joining alliances and allowing their territory to be used as a jumping-off point to invade Russia, Russia has every right to be concerned about this.

• From Russia's perspective, NATO is a threat engaged in what NATO describes as a strategic conflict against Russia designed to achieve strategic defeat of Russia.

• Now that Finland has joined this alliance, it raises concerns for Russia.

Colin Powell on Iraq War

This section discusses Colin Powell's involvement in the Iraq War and his thoughts on Congress voting on withdrawing permission for money towards it.

Colin Powell's Involvement

• Colin Powell had been involved with Iraq since his time in the Marine Corps, where he was assigned to a Marine Corps Brigade that was the Marine Corps component of the rapid deployment force.

• He played an active role in hunting Iraqi scud missiles during the Gulf War and later worked for the United Nations special commission tasked with getting rid of weapons of mass destruction.

Thoughts on Congress Voting

• The U.S Senate voted to withdraw Congress's permission for money to be used towards the Iraqi War.

• Colin Powell was a vocal opponent of the war and said that while they could not certify that Iraq was fully disarmed, whatever Iraq could have retained did not constitute a threat worthy of war.

The Current Military Posture of the United States in Iraq and Syria

In this section, the speaker discusses the current military posture of the United States in Iraq and Syria. He talks about how it lacks constitutional authority and how existing War Powers authorities are insufficient to justify legally the force.

Updating Legislation for Legitimacy

• The new Congressional legislation has been updated to provide legitimacy to the current reality.

• The present reality is no longer linked to Saddam Hussein and weapons of mass destruction.

• Members of Congress were drilling Lloyd Austin on delaying information about needs attacks in Syria so that they wouldn't repeal Iraqi permission, money, and troops there.

Senior Military Officials' Deception

• American people have not been well served by senior military officials for a long time now.

• Testimony from people like General Petraeus was deceptive during the Afghan conflict.

• Hundreds of Americans and tens of thousands of Afghans lost their lives due to lies and distortions.

• General Austin comes from an era where he lied before Congress when he had four stars on his shoulders.

Potential War Between US and China; Putin's Army Building Plans

In this section, the speaker talks about a potential war between the US and China. He also discusses Putin's plans to build an army of 300 to 700 thousand trained people.

Russian Army Capacity

• Russians have succeeded in building up their army's capacity necessary to achieve their stated objectives.

• The battle for bakmut began last May almost a year ago, which means the Russians have been shaping this battle.

Ukrainian Counter-Offensive

In this section, Scott Ritter discusses the possibility of a Ukrainian counter-offensive against Russia and its potential consequences.

Possibility of a Ukrainian Counter-Offensive

• The Ukrainians have possibly accumulated a force of up to 80,000 men for a counter-offensive.

• The Russian offensive is likely to wait until the Ukrainians execute this counter-offensive and get destroyed.

• If Ukraine has an 80,000 man reserve that can be used to blunt the Russian operations more difficult.

• If the Ukrainians opt not to launch the offensive, then Russia will continue this war of attrition grinding them down until that 80,000 joins everybody else in the ground dead or surrendered.

Conclusion

In this section, Scott Ritter concludes his discussion on the possibility of a Ukrainian counter-offensive against Russia.

Scott Ritter's Website

• To learn more about Scott Ritter's work and keep up with what he is learning and sharing visit scottritterextra.com.