Republican Don Ritter served as a U.S. Congressman for 14 years, during which he chaired the Baltic States–Ukraine Caucus. He was a science exchange fellow in the Soviet Union under Leonid Brezhnev and continues to closely monitor developments in the post-Soviet space. During the Ukraine Summit held this week in Washington, the politician spoke at a press conference titled "Putin Will Not Stop his War Against Ukraine: Implications for the West's Response."

Ritter considers himself a Reagan Republican, that is, a Republican of the old school, although he joked: "Reagan is dead and Trump is very much alive and tremendously influential."

The politician kindly agreed to answer questions from Ukrinform over the phone.

PUTIN IS READY TO FIGHT TO THE LAST RUSSIAN TO STAY IN POWER

– Mr. Ritter, you have said that President Putin has no intention of ending the war. What is the basis for that conviction?

– Well, I'm saying he has no intent or desire to end the war under circumstances anywhere close to the present ones, because it would endanger his position at home and perhaps his life. No matter how strong he is, no matter how many layers of security he has, if the war stops now, Russia — with all its losses in blood and treasure, becoming a pariah nation, turning its economy upside down into a military one, and depending heavily on China — would see him taken out. His life would most likely be in danger.

You can see it makes sense: he thought he'd have a quick win, a three-to-five-day "special operation." Well, it’s been three and a half years, and he hasn't accomplished very much. They say he’s gained approximately one percent of additional territory. That’s not much at all, which means he put Russia through hell for no reason. And you know how many security guards he has, or the oligarchs — about a thousand — and they will turn against him, sure as the sun rises in the east.

– How do you assess the recent shift in the administration's policy toward Russia's war? Is it a lasting trend or a temporary change in President Trump's mood?

– I think it shows a definite change in direction. The administration understands that Putin started the war to boost his popularity. He saw an independent and sovereign Ukraine next door, and that was dangerous to him. He figured it was time, before Ukraine got too strong, to take it out.

But sanctions alone will not do the trick. He will fight to the last Russian if he has to stay in power.

Sanctions alone will not work, though they can contribute to pressure. The other critical element of pressure is military. It was reported, I think in The Wall Street Journal last week, that the administration is loosening restrictions on where our more long-range munitions can go inside Russia, and I think that's a really good sign. In other words, HIMARS-type munitions and other munitions provided by European countries can now reach deeper into Russia — the restrictions are being eased. Frankly, I didn't know there were any restrictions left, but it seems there were. It shows that they see military pressure as essential as well as sanctions.

In fact, in the opinion of many who believe as I do, unless the cost of the war to Russia itself — in terms of blowing up every military target and every economic facility related to the military — becomes unbearable, the pressure will not be enough. He can't afford to stop with such a small gain and such a fantastic cost to the Russian people.

THE ADMINISTRATION WILL, ONE WAY OR ANOTHER, AGREE TO PROVIDE SIGNIFICANT SUPPORT TO UKRAINE

– President Trump has said the U.S. should not provide direct aid to Ukraine but rather enable arms transfers through partner countries. Do you support that approach?

– If that policy is actually functioning and not tied up in red tape, and the arms sales go through as a priority, I think it's a good deal for America.

What I would question is how efficient, productive, and politically acceptable that circuitous route of arms transfer is. I guess we'll find out — hopefully we’re finding out right now. But it's not a done deal when the transfer has to go through third parties.

With all the competition for arms sales among European nations, sometimes involving equipment that competes with U.S. systems, it remains to be seen whether it will work. I hope it does.

– How do you interpret the talk about possibly supplying Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine and the subsequent decision not to do so?

– I think it was floated as a potential threat to get Putin to come around to something other than where he's been. When that failed, the threat wasn’t real, so it disappeared — for the time being. But as time marches on, and he continues to bomb hospitals, kindergartens, and civilian targets of all kinds — in addition to the energy infrastructure to freeze Ukrainians this winter — I think the direction of the administration is toward providing, one way or another, further major support to Ukraine.

MOST MAGA REPUBLICANS STRONGLY SUPPORT UKRAINE, NOT PUTIN

– Does American society, including Republicans, Democrats, and independents, still support helping Ukraine?

– I think they do. In general, people know about Vladimir Putin, put it that way.

There is a fringe element on the Republican right getting a lot of attention on the internet, but outside their podcasting realm, I don’t think they've made much impact. In fact, they may have galvanized other parts of the Republican Party against them.

– You mean commentators like Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens?

– Exactly. They have outright opposed helping Ukraine and have not criticized — even praised — Vladimir Putin, who is a genocidal murderer. His whole life is murder, starting from the apartment bombings in 1999 that elevated him to power, to the Beslan massacre where over 300 people were killed. And you know, Anna Politkovskaya, Alexander Litvinenko, Boris Nemtsov, Alexei Navalny — these are just the names we know. Think of all the people we don’t know, tossed into Siberian prison camps, murdered, or silenced from public view.

I think the American people are increasingly understanding that Vladimir Putin is not just a Russian nationalist eager to rebuild the Soviet or tsarist empire, or afraid of NATO encroachment. They see that he is a murderer seeking to hold on to power.

– How do you view the isolationist tendencies among some Republicans, particularly in the MAGA movement?

– Yes, that's who I was just talking about. More and more of them are coming to the conclusion that Putin is a bad guy, and that there's no easy way to discuss issues with him in a normal fashion. Negotiating with him now — freezing the present front lines — he's not interested in that. He'll use negotiations simply to stall.

But polling shows that much of the MAGA community is strongly supportive of Ukraine over Putin. There are certain loud voices, as you mentioned, which create consternation within the Republican ranks.

REAGAN IS DEAD, BUT TRUMP IS VERY MUCH ALIVE AND EXTREMELY INFLUENTIAL

– What are your expectations for the upcoming congressional elections?

– The Democratic Party has an extremely bad reputation, but House races, in particular, depend on the quality of the candidates. People often say, "I'm voting for the person, not the party." So it's going to be very close.

If the Democratic Socialists of America, which I see as essentially a Communist Party, gain more traction — for example, if Mamdani wins in New York — then New York is in trouble. Republicans would benefit greatly by pointing to him as the face of the Democratic Party, the future of the party, the ascendancy of its socialist, progressive wing — that of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Bernie Sanders, and others. Republicans would pounce on Mamdani's election and use him as a poster child to paint the Democratic Party as socialist — essentially, the Communist Party.

– Do you maintain contacts with members of Congress or active politicians?

– Yes, I do. My friends in Congress generally think like I do — they’re basically Reagan Republicans. The number of Reagan Republicans in Congress is probably greater than the number of MAGA Republicans, but Reagan is dead and Trump is very much alive and tremendously influential.

– Finally, if you were advising President Trump today, what would be your first piece of advice regarding the Russian war against Ukraine?

– My advice would be that Putin is a genocidal murderer. His entire life has been one of bullying — from street gangs in Leningrad to underground dealings in St. Petersburg after the fall of the Soviet Union. He was a KGB lieutenant colonel, which means he beat up a lot of recalcitrant people in East Germany.

He's a short man with a short-man complex. I think Putin is a completely unreliable, unrepentant gangster. He looks out for himself, not the Russian people. He's like a contemporary Hitler 2.0 — using capitalism to get rich while keeping a firm grip on his people.

I feel sorry for the Russian people; they're buying a lot of his propaganda and still staunchly support the war. I would advise President Trump that the only thing this man respects is strength — and the only way to achieve peace is through strength. That means helping Ukraine win the war, however you define the endgame. Putin will not lose his position or his life as long as the war continues.

Volodymyr Ilchenko, New York