After the US was weakened by four disastrous years under Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin saw an opportunity to ramp up aggression against Ukraine, according to a new New York Times op-ed.
The impact of Trump's presidency is not the only reason why Putin sees now as an opportune time to challenge the West on Ukraine. President Joe Biden has come under fire for his handling of the Afghanistan pullout, which came at a time when the Taliban regained control of the country.
"From Russia's perspective, America's domestic troubles after four years of President Donald Trump's disastrous presidency, as well as the rifts he created with US allies and then America's precipitous withdrawal from Afghanistan, signal weakness," said Hill, who served as the top Russia advisor
Trump didn't respond to the request for comment.
According to Hill, the Russian president wants toevict the US from Europe.
The remnants of the Soviet military were forced to leave their bases in Eastern Europe, Germany and the Baltic States by the United States and NATO in the 1990s. "Mr. Putin wants the United States to suffer in the same way." "Ukraine is both Russia's target and a source of leverage against the United States."
Fears of a new conflict in Europe are on the rise after Russia amassed a huge force along the Ukrainian border. Western powers are skeptical of the Kremlin's claims that it doesn't plan to invade. Russia supported the rebels in the war against the Ukrainian forces in the eastern Donbass region.
Russia has made demands for security guarantees in order to get a diplomatic resolution to the situation. NATO's open door policy is not up for discussion, according to the US and NATO.
According to Hill, Putin wants to strike a new security deal with NATO and Europe to avoid an open-ended conflict, and then the US will take its troops and missiles with it.
If Russia invades, the US warns that Moscow will face severe economic consequences, while weighing over sending more troops to Eastern Europe as a deterrent. 8,500 US troops are on heightened alert according to the Pentagon.
The UN system would be challenged and the arrangements that have guaranteed member states' sovereignty would be jeopardized by another Russian attack on Ukraine, warned Hill.
Hill urged the US to engage Russia on the West's terms, not just Moscow's, in order to resolve the crisis. The US needs to make sure that Putin knows that he will face global resistance in the event of an invasion, according to Hill.
In November, Hill told Insider that Putin is "deadly serious" about taking action.
She said that he wants Ukraine to be neutralized. Russia has crossed the Rubicon many times before when people said they wouldn't.
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