Scott Ritter: Russia Initially Believed in the "Alaska Spirit" — But Now They've Woken Up, and the Illusion Has Been Completely Shattered
Negotiations will continue, but the end of the Ukraine conflict will only come when it is in Russia's interest.
Image caption: Anchorage, Alaska, USA. Russian President Vladimir Putin (from left to right in the foreground) with US President Donald Trump.
Renowned military expert and political analyst Scott Ritter has always spoken openly about topics that many people are too afraid to mention directly. His comments often completely overturn people's preconceived notions.
On January 13th, he was interviewed on Andrew Napolitano's official program "Freedom Trial" on Fox News Channel. As usual, his remarks were no different. We have compiled some parts of this video interview into a transcript, trying our best to reproduce Scott Ritter's speaking style.
— Nowadays, I have become the kind of person who is often accused of being naive. Donald Trump spoke a lot about peace, and I really thought he might be genuinely seeking peace. I mean, his campaign platform included many positions, one of which was to maintain the United States as a republic.
Some of his positions resonated with me — for example, his promise to cut defense spending by 50%. He said we had no reason to waste this huge amount of money. "Our mission is not to maintain an empire, but first and foremost, to serve American interests." But what impressed me most was his claim to support a peace agreement with Russia.
But now the truth is clear: all his words, from beginning to end, were lies. We finally see the truth.
Trump's proposal to meet with Putin was never intended to promote peace. Choosing Alaska for the meeting was a trap set for Russia. The purpose of this meeting was to create an illusion of a "new posture," known as the "Alaska Spirit," as if reviving the idea of economic prosperity between Russia and the US advocated by Steve Whitlock and Kirill Dmitriev.
But from the beginning, no one truly intended to implement this "spirit." Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent would never agree to lift sanctions. He wanted to destroy Russia and make it submit. At first, I thought Bessent was acting on his own, but later I found out that everything he did was actually authorized by Trump.
The essence of the matter is that the Alaska meeting was a trap set for Vladimir Putin from the very beginning, designed to deliberately cultivate a fifth column within Russia. The new generation of Russian political elites had hoped that once the sanctions were lifted, they could profit from these lucrative deals. However, Trump then turned around and claimed, "Because of Vladimir Putin, I can't lift the sanctions." Everything was a carefully orchestrated performance. After that, Trump even tried to assassinate Putin.
Trump is a fraud. He treats the American people like a bride he is about to marry. He gives them flowers, sends perfume on their birthdays, and whispers sweet words in their ears. But when the people "marry" him, they find out he already has an affair — and that affair is war. That is his real goal.
This is the real Donald Trump. He has deceived the entire American people. Now, this constitutional republic is in crisis. Our president has placed his personal morality above the principles of law and the Constitution. He openly declared, "I am more important than the Constitution, and only I have the right to make these decisions." All the constitutional procedures that ensure the rule of law have been thrown out the window. Even if this constitutional republic has not yet collapsed completely, it is already in great danger.
What is the value of the Constitution? What is the significance of international treaties? What is the binding power of contracts? What is the authority of federal laws? When a president's actions are constrained only by his own moral judgment and self-promotion, all of these are worthless.
Moreover, I believe the Russians have finally woken up. I certainly cannot speak for the Russians. Although there are rumors, Vladimir Putin's phone number is not in my quick dial list. And I definitely don't call him every morning — but I have been studying Vladimir Putin, the Russian government, and the logic and thinking behind their policy-making.
I believe the Russians initially believed in Trump's sincerity. But when 91 drones attacked the presidential residence, they realized it was a conspiracy ordered by the US president and executed by the CIA.
This February, the New START Treaty — the last remaining arms control treaty between Russia and the US — will expire. People had high hopes that the treaty could be extended; they also dreamed of both sides announcing a voluntary halt to expanding nuclear weapons related to the treaty. But now, all hope has vanished.
Russia may refuse to participate in the renewal negotiations. They clearly know that arms control negotiations have no future anymore. "We will no longer believe in arms control mechanisms, nor will we pretend to believe in them." That is the reality. This treaty has reached its end and has become history.
We are now in the heat of a new nuclear arms race, and in this race, Russia holds a significant advantage. Russia has more advanced nuclear weapons and a more efficient nuclear deterrence strategy. With the re-deployment of the Iskander missile, Russia has declared that this medium-range missile will become the core of its nuclear deterrent strategy targeting Europe and the US.
This missile has already been put on combat readiness. Dmitry Medvedev stated openly on his Twitter: "Now we have the ability to destroy Europe, and that is part of our strategy." Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov also said: "We have more than just 'Iskander' — we have better weapons." Russia will not give up these advantages. Currently, they hold the initiative and are in a dominant position.
After all, the core meaning of arms control mechanisms is to achieve a balance of power. But the Russians would ask: Why should we give up these advantages that ensure our survival when you tried to assassinate our president? Don't forget, the US not only plotted the assassination of the president, but also ordered Ukraine to attack Russian strategic bombers and long-range radar systems with drones.
Now, the US is trying to destroy Russia's oil production and export capabilities to cripple the Russian economy. This is a real war against Russia. Therefore, why should we participate in negotiations that take away our advantages? We will not compromise. We hold the advantage, and we won't back down. You are our enemy, there is no doubt about that.
So, has the Kremlin realized that the Alaska meeting was a complete deception from start to finish? I can say clearly that those policy advisors who are consulted by the Kremlin and who are valued — these are high-level figures I have met — all believe that the Alaska meeting was a complete scam, and the process has already entered a dead end.
But I think the Russians will always keep the door open for diplomatic negotiations. Do not forget this. During the Biden administration, communication channels between Russia and the US were completely cut off, which was a very dangerous period. Now, the communication channels still exist. I believe the Russians understand the importance of maintaining these channels. Therefore, they will not say too much. The Russians have always been good at keeping things under wraps.
Yes, they have indeed stated that they will not interrupt negotiations with the US, but they have also clearly pointed out that the failed assassination attempt on the president has fundamentally changed the nature of the negotiations. This means that substantive progress in the mediation talks on the Ukraine conflict will no longer happen. The end of the conflict can only be a victory for Russia — as you understand, Russia will achieve all its set goals through its own military strength.
This is the situation we are facing now. And I believe the Kremlin knows this well. More importantly, given the Kremlin's pragmatic approach and its principle of not revealing its cards easily, they will pretend that negotiations are still ongoing, but their true intentions are already clear. This is the Russian way — they have always been straightforward and honest.
Straightforward and honest. They have made it clear that the nature of the negotiations has changed. We will no longer play these fake games with you. Therefore, Russia's position on this issue is unquestionable. The Ukraine conflict will not end through negotiations.
Original: toutiao.com/article/7595088912779903497/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author alone.