The main media narrative during the Russia and Ukraine war has been that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is a brave hero who did the proper thing for his nation.
The media, and people in general, love a simple dichotomy of good versus evil and no shades of gray, but that is not always the reality, nor how everyone sees it.
Retired U.S. Army Col. Douglas Macgregor had another take on what the Ukrainian president could have done to avoid bloodshed. And while many people in the media are likely to portray his comments as being pro-Russia or pro-Putin all he really did was present his opinion on what could have been done to prevent war.
“Well, the end of this phase is still a few days away. The first five days, Russian forces I think, frankly, were too gentle. They’ve now corrected that. So I would say another 10 days, this should be completely over. But the question is, what is it that Zelensky going to do? The Russians have made it very clear what they want is a neutral Ukraine. This could’ve ended days ago if he accepted that. And then they can adjust the borders, but the eastern part of Ukraine is firmly in Russian hands, but again, the Russians are not seizing territory. They’re destroying Ukrainian forces. That’s their focus,” the retired colonel said to host Stuart Varney.
“Colonel, it sounds like you don’t approve of Zelensky’s stand,” the host said.
“Oh, I think Zelensky is a puppet. And he is putting huge numbers of his own population at unnecessary risk, and quite frankly, most of what comes out of Ukraine is debunked as lies within 24 to 48 hours. The notions of taking and retaking airfields, all of this is nonsense. It hasn’t happened,” MacGregor said.
“He’s not a hero? He’s standing up for himself and his own people. You don’t think he’s a hero?” Varney hit back.
“No, I do not. I don’t see anything heroic about the man. And I think the most heroic thing that he can do right now is to come to terms with reality. Neutralize Ukraine. This is not a bad thing. A neutral Ukraine would be good for us as well as for Russia. It would create the buffer that, frankly, both sides want. But he’s, I think, being told to hang on and try to drag this out, which is tragic for the people that have to live through this,” the retired colonel said.
“I am inclined to disagree with you, colonel, but, you know, we’ll see how this works out,” the host said.
The retired colonel has a right to his opinion the same way those who have supported Zelensky’s decisions have a right to theirs. These are, after all, simply opinions. But that is not how many feel, especially those who never met a war they were not in favor of.
“Douglas MacGregor, nominated by Trump as ambassador to Germany; appointed by Trump as sr advisor to the Secretary of Defense, says Russian forces have been “too gentle” and “I don’t see anything heroic” about Zelensky. This is the Putin wing of the GOP,” anti-Trump Republican Rep. Liz Cheney said.
But some supported him.
“Retired US Army colonel Douglas Macgregor on Fox News explaining the broader geo-strategic causes behind Putin’s invasion
Do not be afraid. It is NOT unpatriotic to think strategically & understand the national interests of your *opponent*,” Daily Beast columnist Maajid Nawaz said.
“Colonel Douglas Macgregor providing the brutally honest commentary that American audiences need and crave,” journalist and radio host Lee Stranahan said
One man's hero is another's villain. Don't forget that for Ukrainians, Bogdan Chielmnicki, y"sh is a national hero. Hell, if Hitler, y"sh, had stopped with Poland and eventually made peace with the Allies, even if he then murdered all the Jews in Poland, he'd be remembered as a great German hero today.
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