Retired General Tells Fox News Biden Officials ‘Don’t Want Putin to Lose’ Because They’re Afraid of a ‘Provocative Reaction’

Retired U.S. Army Gen. Jack Keane claimed the Biden administration does not want Russia to lose its war on Ukraine, lest President Vladimir Putin lash out in response.

Following a Pentagon press conference, Martha MacCallum asked Keane about the U.S. role in assisting Ukraine.

“What is the mission here? What’s the U.S. strategy right now?”

“You know, it’s a great question,” he replied. “I think, fundamentally, the United States’ underlying strategy in dealing with the war before it began and after it began is not to provoke Putin. It’s an unstated strategy, but it is operating every single day.”

Keane noted the U.S. delayed shipments of arms to Ukraine last year and said that it imposed sanctions on Russian officials and oligarchs after Russia invaded.

“All of those are not to provoke Putin,” Keane stated. “And the reason is fear of adverse consequence. And then since the war began, no one expected the Russians to perform so poorly and the Ukrainians to actually beat them in ground combat, and they have.”

He said Ukraine has a chance to win the war but the U.S. has “no strategy” to help the country win.

“I don’t like saying this,” he continued. “But the facts are we don’t want Putin to lose. We don’t want Putin to lose because we’re afraid that if he loses, there’ll be a provocative reaction on his part. So it explains why we’re not all-in on helping Zelensky win, who is begging for all of that help.”

Keane dinged President Joe Biden for not stating outright that the goal is to “crush” the Russian army in Ukraine and for not giving President Volodymyr Zelensky “everything he needs to see this through.”

He added, “There’s palpable fear in this administration that if Putin loses, he’ll do something horrible.”

Keane said the Biden administration does not appear to have the will to help Ukraine rout the Russians.

“What the administration has to get their head around is war is fundamentally a test of wills,” he said. “And leaders have to step up and overcome their fear of adverse consequence. And then they have to find the spine to have the perseverance to deal with all the obstacles and all the impediments that are in their way, preventing them from succeeding. And a lot of that has to do with who you are – mostly what’s in your heart is what I’m talking about here. And we just don’t seem to have it and that’s why Zelensky is so frustrated.”

Watch above via Fox News.