The Ukraine war has the potential to spark other conflicts around the world according to top Russia expert.

Hill told Insider that people freak out when they think of World War III. Many of them have been in Europe.

The war has global implications that extend well beyond Ukraine and Russia, Hill said, citing how the war is already impacting food security, global energy markets, and the "precedent Putin is setting for similar activities elsewhere."

"There's always a risk when it comes to conflict between major powers," Hill said.

"Putin wants us to believe that this is a proxy war with NATO, but it's actually a war of conquest," Hill said.

The risk of this "sparking off other conflicts" is the same as the Arab Spring did.

Food shortages and inflation caused the Arab spring to start. Conflicts in other places can be caused by the compounding effect of problems we've already had. It doesn't have to be between the two powers.

'There are going be ramifications from this war for a very long time'

Fiona Hill
Fiona Hill, testifies before the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe in Washington, DC on February 2, 2022.
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The war in Ukraine has caused a global energy crisis. Europe depends a lot on Russia for gas and oil. The EU imposed a partial embargo on Russian oil. There are concerns that Putin won't switch the gas back on, despite Russia shutting off a major gas line for maintenance. Russia is accused of using energy as a form of blackmail.

A worldwide food crisis is being caused by the war in Ukraine, which is being used by the Kremlin to cause famine, induce chaos, and pressure Western governments to capitulate to its demands.

There will be repercussions from this war for a long time. The war is making a lot of changes. On top of the Russian leader's "nuclear sabre rattling," it's shaping a whole set of interactions.

There is a conflict with global dimensions.

Hill said that Putin's goals in the war have not changed despite the fact that the Russian military has suffered huge losses.

Hill said that Putin wanted to find a way of subjugatingUkraine.

Putin has a 'classical medieval siege mentality'

Russian President Vladimir Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin during the CSTO summit in Moscow on May 16, 2022.
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The tide is turning in Putin's favor, but the West needs to be careful.

She said that he wanted them to capitulate at this point. He does not want this to drag on.

Issues with manpower and the maintenance of military equipment are some of the problems Russia has.

They are reverting back to the equipment of earlier times. A lot of stuff is being pulled out of the scrapyard. There is a lot of uncertainty about how long it will take for them to replenish the equipment that has been lost.

According to the UK Ministry of Defense, if true, this suggested difficulties in replacing the large number of Russian casualties. The former commanding general of the US Army in Europe told Insider that Russian troops areexhausted and don't have much else to do.

Hill said that Putin believes he can wait us all out. Hill emphasized that winning the war is important to Putin's survival.

He is trying to tell us that time is on his side when it isn't.