The death or removal from power of Russian leader Vladimir Putin is a necessary condition for achieving a lasting peace in Ukraine.
This was stated in an interview with Ukrinform by Retired Lieutenant-General Christopher Coates, former Deputy Commander of NORAD and Commander of the Canadian Joint Operations Command.
“Kill Putin. That would be a first requirement. A durable peace is very hard to imagine while Putin remains in power. More fundamentally, I think the only real foundation for lasting peace is a Ukrainian victory,” Coates said.
He stressed that he had become increasingly skeptical of the idea that territorial concessions could produce a sustainable settlement.
“At best, they might produce a pause,” he said. “But if Russia retains its broader imperial ambitions, it can rebuild and return to war later.”
