Putin won't take peace with Ukraine without restoring empire, Robert Gates says

Robert Gates connected imaginable Trump-Putin gathering

Robert Gates says helium isn't definite you tin justice Putin's intentions successful face-to-face meeting 02:10

Russian President Vladimir Putin believes it's his destiny to recreate the Russian empire and won't backmost down successful Ukraine, erstwhile Defense Secretary Robert Gates said successful an interrogation with "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan."

Gates said Putin's aims tin beryllium unclear, adjacent successful one-on-one meetings.

"I'm not definite adjacent successful a look to look that you tin justice Putin's intention," said Gates, who served arsenic defence caput nether Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. "My ain view, having dealt with him and having spent astir of my beingness moving connected Russia and the Soviet Union, is Putin feels that helium has a destiny to recreate the Russian Empire. And arsenic my aged mentor, Zbigniew Brzezinski erstwhile said, without Ukraine, determination tin beryllium nary Russian Empire." 

While campaigning for a instrumentality to the White House, President Trump promised a swift extremity to the warfare that began 3 years agone erstwhile Russia invaded Ukraine. Now much than 100 days into Mr. Trump's 2nd term, talks to extremity the struggle person been inconsistent, with small motion an extremity to warring is successful sight.

"I deliberation the president is — based connected what I work — is getting the consciousness that, arsenic helium enactment it, that Putin is 'tapping' him on and … Putin hasn't fixed up connected immoderate of his archetypal goals successful Ukraine," Gates said, referring to an April 26 societal media post. 

In the post, Mr. Trump wrote of Putin, "maybe helium doesn't privation to halt the war."

Gates said Putin hasn't shown a willingness to marque immoderate large concessions.

"He's going to importune connected occupying each 4 of the eastbound provinces of the Donbas, perpetual designation of Russian ownership of Crimea, a pro-Russian authorities successful Kyiv and a Ukrainian subject that looks a batch similar an enhanced constabulary force. And nary rank successful NATO and astir apt nary rank successful the EU," Gates said.

President Trump said Friday he's moving to acceptable up direct talks with Putin arsenic soon arsenic helium can. Talks with lower-level Ukrainian and Russian delegations took spot successful Istanbul Friday, but determination was small factual advancement beyond an statement to a large captive speech successful the coming days.

The struggle successful Ukraine dates backmost to 2014, erstwhile Russian forces seized Crimea aft protests successful Ukraine led to the ousting of the country's pro-Russian president, Viktor Yanukovych. Gates believes Putin wants the Ukraine that existed earlier that uprising.

"He wants Ukraine, basically, to beryllium a lawsuit authorities of Russia, and I don't spot what it would instrumentality to get him to locomotion distant from immoderate of those goals successful the foreseeable future," Gates said. "I mean, erstwhile you look astatine 900,000 oregon truthful Russian soldiers that person been killed oregon wounded, he's paid a immense terms – the Russian system and truthful on." 

"It hasn't deterred him successful the slightest," Gates said.

In:
• Ukraine
• Russia
• Vladimir Putin