"If it had all happened at once, maybe you could call it an accident. But six hours of drones? That’s a test – a way to see what the West would do," Kellogg said.
His comments contrasted with US President Donald Trump, who suggested the incursion "could have been a mistake."
Kellogg described Vladimir Putin as "a manipulator" who can only be confronted with "strength, power and force."
He warned that Russia may move against a NATO state if it prevails in Ukraine, comparing Moscow’s expansionism to Hitler’s territorial demands before World War Two.
"You have to look at Putin and Russia as an expansionist power. (...) Give him an inch, he’ll take a mile," he said
He stressed that any decision on territory in exchange for peace belongs solely to Kyiv.
"Trump isn’t trading on Ukrainian land. That’s Zelensky’s mandate. Nobody else’s call," though he noted "Donetsk is 65 per cent occupied. Luhansk is at 98 per cent. You have to accept reality."
Discussing Ukraine’s prospects for peace, Kellogg underlined the sequencing of any negotiations.
"Without a ceasefire, it’s very hard to achieve peace. The problem is, Putin thinks he’s winning, so he won’t agree to peace yet. Trump prefers peace talks first."
On nuclear threats, Kellogg said Putin is "a realist" who retreats when confronted, recalling Trump’s blunt warning to North Korea: "I’ve got a red button too. It’s bigger than yours and mine works better."
He also pointed to the growing cooperation between Russia, China and North Korea as a challenge for the entire international community, admitting: "We haven’t had a good plan yet to react to that."
(ał)
Source: PAP, The Telegraph