West must accept Donbass, Crimea as Russian, Blackwater founder says
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The founder of US military contractor Blackwater says the West must "pull the plug" on Ukraine and accept the Donbass region and Crimea as Russian territories.
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Erik Prince, founder of the private security firm Blackwater, speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC 2023, March 4, 2023, at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland (AP)
Erik Prince, the founder of US private military company Blackwater, called for an immediate end to the Ukraine conflict, asserting that the West cannot match Russia's military capabilities, in a recent interview for the PBD podcast.
Prince, who served as the CEO of Blackwater until 2009, expressed doubts about the ability of Kiev and its Western allies to prevail in the ongoing war, now entering its third year.
"We need to bring this war to a close because all Ukraine is doing right now is destroying itself demographically," Prince argued.
He highlighted that the hostilities are consuming the next generation of Ukrainian manpower, making it nearly impossible to replace. Moreover, he dismissed the idea of Western forces outperforming the Russian defense industry, calling the Western defense base "pathetic".
Russian economy resilient
The Russian Economic Development Ministry on Wednesday reported that the country's GDP has increased by 4.6% in annual terms in January from 4.4% in December
"According to the estimate of the Russian Ministry of Economic Development, in January 2024, the GDP exceeded the level of last year by 4.6% year-on-year compared to the 4.4% growth in December," the Ministry said in a report.
The report added that the annual inflation in Russia stood at 7.58% as of February 26, slightly higher than the 7.57% recorded a week earlier.
"From February 20-26, 2024, dynamics of consumer prices amounted to 0.13%, year–on–year - 7.58%," the report noted.
According to Prince, an "ugly peace" and a freeze in hostilities would be a more prudent option for both Kiev and its Western supporters than pursuing an idealized war. He suggested letting Russia retain control over Crimea, Donetsk, and Lugansk, regions that have faced conflicts and held referenda to join Russia.
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, seemed to echo Prince's sentiments. Responding to Prince's statements on X (formerly Twitter), Musk wrote, "Unfortunately, that is true."
Russia not occupying Ukrainian territory
Russia’s permanent envoy to the United Nations rejected accusations that Russia is occupying Ukrainian territory, stressing that they are "Russian regions" after the regions in question voted in favor of joining the federation.
A UN General Assembly session on the war marking its second year saw Kiev and its Western allies condemning Russia's "occupation" of Ukrainian lands. Addressing the attendees, Vassily Nebenzia said, “In reality, there is no such thing as temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. They are Russian regions."
Read more: What targets did EU's 13th anti-Russia sanctions package aim at?
Nebenzia added that Crimea, the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, and the regions of Kherson and Zaporozhye became part of Russia following "the legitimate expression of the will of their people."
The Ukraine conflict has been marked by geopolitical tensions and regional disputes. Prince's call for a resolution comes amid concerns about the demographic impact on Ukraine and skepticism about the West's ability to outmatch Russia militarily.
While Prince did not mention Kherson and Zaporozhye regions in his remarks, which also held successful referenda to join Russia in the fall of 2022, he emphasized that it is not the American taxpayer's obligation to allocate additional funds to Ukraine, citing corruption and insufficient progress.
Russia has expressed openness to talks on Ukraine, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed a decree banning negotiations with the current leadership in Moscow.
The Kremlin, on the other hand, has opposed a freeze in the conflict, asserting that it would persist until its goals of "denazifying" and "demilitarizing" Ukraine are achieved, using military or other means.
