US comments on Russia's defense reform
(Baonghean.vn) - US State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said on May 13 that Russian President Vladimir Putin's dismissal of the Defense Minister showed "desperation" at the high cost of the war in Ukraine.
“In our view, this is another sign of Putin’s desperation to continue the war in Ukraine, despite the huge loss to the Russian economy and heavy losses to the Russian military,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters.
“The Kremlin’s war on Ukraine has devastated so many families,” Patel said. “Putin could end it at any time by withdrawing his forces from Ukraine.”
On the same day, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said it was not unreasonable for the Ukrainian government to speculate that changes in the Russian government indicated Moscow's plan to restructure its economy to meet defense needs. "I've seen that speculation from the Ukrainian side. It's not unreasonable, but I can't draw any conclusions at this point. We'll have to see what happens," Sullivan said at a press conference.
Meanwhile, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Alexander Litvinenko assessed Mr. Belousov as an experienced manager who could ensure a long-term war of attrition against Ukraine. In addition, Litvinenko also said that Belousov had "serious connections" with Russian intelligence.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov referred to Belousov as a civilian, who headed the Russian Ministry of Economic Development for many years and also served as a member of the Russian Federation Council for Economic Affairs.
