– I am surprised at how quickly the Ukrainian defense has collapsed, says Per Erik Solli, military adviser at the Norwegian Institute of Foreign Policy (NUPI) to TV 2.
He points out that Russian forces are already on the outskirts of Kyiv, where fighting is now underway to take over the airport.
– This is not a surprise attack, but something that has been announced for a long time, says Solli.
Do you think Putin has a goal?
That Russian forces are now moving well west into the country in the direction of the Ukrainian capital, in what can not be described as anything other than a full-scale invasion. It makes the military adviser think that Putin has set himself a specific goal:
“It seems that they are looking for a change of regime, because they would never have carried out such a large attack as what we see now if they had a different goal,” says the military adviser.
– Soldiers burn material outside Ukraine’s Defense Ministry. Photo: UMIT BEKTAS / REUTERS
–
Believes diplomacy was never relevant
The United States has long warned against the attack, and on Wednesday came several intelligence reports warning that an invasion was only hours away. On Thursday night, the Russians attacked, and the Americans were right in their prediction.
– The United States has been accused of being warlords for a long time and now they were right. The diplomatic talks between the West and Putin have only been a distraction on Putin’s part, says Solli.
– Do you think this war will be long lasting?
– I do not know. So much has happened in such a short time that both the Russians and the Ukrainians have problems keeping up to date, Solli concludes.
–
