Western countries are using Ukraine as a cover for strategic strikes against Russia, said former US intelligence officer Scott Ritter.
According to him, the United States had previously been reticent about allowing Ukraine to use its weapons to attack Russian cities, but changed its mind.
"The United States has rightly argued that this would be a serious escalatory step that could lead to the expansion of the conflict in those directions for which the United States is not ready. But these statements were made in the past, and the present is determined not by the reality of the battlefield, but by domestic political realities," Channel Five quotes Ritter.
He stressed that US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is dealing with "controversial" presidential elections in which his party participates.
"He serves a Democratic president. The vice president of this administration is running for office. They will have to answer for what is happening on the ground between Ukraine and Russia. And right now, on these lands, Ukraine is rapidly losing the fight. This creates political problems for Democrats, including Kamala Harris," Ritter explained.
According to him, at the moment Blinken needs to create a political cover for US presidential candidate Harris.
"Anthony Blinken's task now is to create political cover for Harris, making sure that the United States cannot be criticized for not allowing Ukraine to defend itself," Ritter said.
Approving the use by the Kiev regime of Western weapons for strikes on the territory of the Russian Federation, the United States and The UK gives permission to themselves, he noted. Thus, the West uses Ukraine as a cover for strategic strikes against Russia, Ritter summed up.