London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Jul 04, 2025

Putin will soon have 'no choice' but to stop his invasion of Ukraine, former US general says

Putin will soon have 'no choice' but to stop his invasion of Ukraine, former US general says

"Putin will have to halt his war in Ukraine sooner or later and probably in a matter of weeks," retired US Army Brig. Gen. Kevin Ryan told Insider.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will likely be forced to bring his failing monthlong war against Ukraine to a halt, a retired US general and Russia specialist told Insider — a scenario that may happen within weeks after Russian forces have sustained heavy losses and subjected Ukraine's cities to indiscriminate attacks.

Retired US Army Brig. Gen. Kevin Ryan said he believed this to be the "most likely scenario" to play out, as Putin has already "failed to accomplish" his "main military goals" in Ukraine — a lightning strike to seize Kyiv, Ukraine's capital, and other big cities and remove their elected leaders — and Russia's economy continues to be decimated by sweeping Western sanctions over its war with the Eastern European country.

"Putin will have to halt his war in Ukraine sooner or later and probably in a matter of weeks," Ryan, who served as the defense attaché to Russia for the US, among numerous other roles, told Insider on Thursday.

"The reason is not because he wants to halt his military operation but because he has no choice," Ryan, 67, said. "He has basically reached the capacity of what his military can do for him in Ukraine."

Ukraine's armed forces, aided by civilians, have been greatly outnumbered and outgunned by Russian troops since Russia launched its attack in late February, but Ukrainians have managed to put up a fierce resistance, which has resulted in a mounting Russian death toll and an essentially stalled invasion.

An assessment from the Institute for the Study of War found that Ukrainian forces had forced Russian troops into defensive positions, while Putin's forces had "continued to settle in for a protracted and stalemated conflict."

Ryan said the Russian army "has a huge personnel problem."

"There is no significant military unit left in Russia outside of Ukraine. They are all in the fight," he said.

"There is almost no part of the Russian military that's not dedicated, committed to Ukraine, so if he has to escalate, how does he escalate?" he added, referring to Putin.

At this point, Ryan said it would be "impossible" for Russia to take control of all Ukraine like Putin hoped to.

"He does not have the military forces to take all of Ukraine and occupy it," Ryan said, adding: "Russian leadership overestimated what their military was capable of."

Ryan called this "a great achievement by Ukrainian people to have prevented an overthrow of their government and a total seizure of all their land."

Russian troops invaded Ukraine on February 24, and in the weeks since, they have surrounded and shelled several towns across the Eastern European country, hitting multiple civilian targets, including residential buildings, hospitals, and a theater.

But British intelligence said on Friday that thanks to Ukrainian counterattacks, Ukraine had retaken some areas around Kyiv it lost earlier in the war.

Ryan, a senior fellow at Harvard's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, said he believed Ukraine would see "an increase in violence" by Russian forces "in the near future" until Putin was forced to halt his military operation.

Putin "can increase the violence and do more damage and destruction in Ukraine," Ryan said.

"He can try to find and encircle and destroy the Ukrainian military, which is smaller than his," he added. "But even if he does all of those things, he cannot strategically do much more with his military."

Ryan said: "They're out of troops, they're out of units, they are fully committed to doing just what they are now."

But he said an end to the war in Ukraine wouldn't "necessarily mean a halt in violence."

"Violence can continue even during the time of negotiations between the sides," Ryan said, adding that the halting of the invasion would likely be "indefinite" until Putin "gets enough concessions from Ukraine" and even from the West regarding the severe sanctions on Russia.

"So until he gets enough concessions," Ryan said of Putin, "I think he would want to stay in that kind of no man's land of a halted military operation — one that could be restarted at any time.

"That would be the threat."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
King Charles Plans Significant Role for Prince Harry in Coronation
Two Chinese Nationals Arrested for Espionage Activities Against U.S. Navy
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
Trump Administration Considers Withdrawal of Funding for Hospitals Providing Gender Treatment to Minors
Texas Enacts Law Allowing Gold and Silver Transactions
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
OpenAI Secures Multimillion-Dollar AI Contracts with Pentagon, India, and Grab
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Elon Musk Critiques Senate Budget Proposal Over Job Losses and Strategic Risks
Los Angeles Riots ended with Federal Investigations into Funding
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Education Secretary Announces Overhaul of Complaints System Amid Rising Parental Grievances
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Trump Ends Trade Talks with Canada Over Digital Services Tax
UK Government Softens Welfare Reform Plans Amid Labour Party Rebellion
Labour Faces Rebellion Over Disability Benefit Reforms Ahead of Key Vote
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Host Lavish Wedding in Venice Amid Protests
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
North Korea to Open New Beach Resort to Boost Tourism Economy
UK Labour Party Faces Internal Tensions Over Welfare Reforms
Andrew Cuomo Hints at Potential November Comeback Amid Democratic Primary Results
Curtis Sliwa Champions His Vision for New York City Amid Rising Crime Concerns
Federal Reserve Proposes Changes to Capital Rule Affecting Major Banks
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Trump Escalates Criticism of Media Over Iran Strike Coverage
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
Big Four Accounting Firms Fined in Exam Cheating Scandal
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
Australia's Star Casino Secures $195 Million Rescue Package Amid Challenges
UK to Enhance Nuclear Capabilities with Acquisition of F-35A Fighter Jets
×