Canadian General: Durable peace hard to imagine while Putin remains in power
This was stated in an interview with Ukrinform by Retired Lieutenant-General Christopher Coates, former Deputy Commander of NORAD and Commander of the Canadian Joint Operations Command.
“Kill Putin. That would be a first requirement. A durable peace is very hard to imagine while Putin remains in power. More fundamentally, I think the only real foundation for lasting peace is a Ukrainian victory,” Coates said.
He stressed that he had become increasingly skeptical of the idea that territorial concessions could produce a sustainable settlement.
“At best, they might produce a pause,” he said. “But if Russia retains its broader imperial ambitions, it can rebuild and return to war later.”
The retired general argued that any long-term peace arrangement must address the underlying drivers of Russian aggression rather than merely freeze the conflict.
As previously reported by Ukrinform, on June 4, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky published an open letter to Vladimir Putin proposing a personal meeting aimed at ending the war. Zelensky suggested that such talks could take place in a third country that traditionally serves as a venue for international negotiations.
The following day, Putin said he saw no reason at present to meet with the Ukrainian leader.
In response, Zelensky described Putin’s reaction as weak and said it demonstrated that Russia was once again choosing war over diplomacy.
Photo: U.S. Strategic Command
