President Donald Trump‘s selection to be the top U.S. general in Europe told senators on Tuesday that he believes Ukraine can win its war against Russia.
“I think Ukraine can win,” Air Force Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich said during his Senate nomination hearing. “I think any time your own homeland is threatened, you fight with a tenacity that’s difficult for us to conceive of.”
Grynkewich’s evaluation of the Russia-Ukraine war came as the Trump administration’s efforts to bring about a diplomatic end to the conflict have been unsuccessful. If he’s confirmed into the position by the Senate, Grynkewich will help usher in the Trump-inspired era of European defense self-reliance.
“The president has been very clear on his objectives in Ukraine are to achieve an end to the war and a ceasefire, and if confirmed, my responsibility will be to provide him a wide range of options in order to achieve that objective,” Grynkewich added.
Earlier this month, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told senators on the Appropriations Defense Subcommittee that “the president is committed to peace in that conflict ” when asked which side of the war he wanted “to win.”
The administration’s whole-of-government pursuit of a ceasefire was a significant pivot from the first two-plus years of the conflict, in which the Biden administration provided Ukraine with tens of billions of dollars of military equipment to aid in its defense.
Drone and ‘acute threat’
During the hearing on Tuesday, Grynkewich discussed many of the lessons the military has learned during the war, including the widespread use of drones.
“The pace of innovation that we’ve seen really on both sides of the equation has shown that smaller drones, precisely maneuvered with lethal payloads, can have a devastating effect on enemy forces on the front line,” he said.
Last month, Ukraine carried out a large-scale drone attack launched from within Russian territory, targeting multiple Russian military bases. Israel carried out similar maneuvers in Iran this month, targeting its nuclear program.
Both attacks emphasized the threats that drones pose and the difficulties involved in counter-drone technology.
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“I think it’s an acute threat that’s a new technology,” Grynkewich said, regarding the drone threat in Europe currently, “and our investment in both counter [unmanned aircraft systems] capability and the ability to do the same sort of activities with our own drones needs vigorous attention.”
Trump is currently at the Hague for a NATO summit. As a part of the summit and in line with Trump’s interests, the alliance intends to raise its minimum defense spending requirement to decrease its reliance on the United States.
