“Path of escalation”: Another statement from Trump’s inner circle condemns the strike on Russian airfields

A Ukrainian drone strike has placed the world on a dangerous path toward escalation.

This statement was made by retired U.S. Air Force General Blaine Holt in an interview with Newsmax, a television channel with close ties to the Republican Party.

“I have never in my life been more concerned about global or national security than I am right now. I understand that this is a tactical victory—yes, the Ukrainians achieved a tactical success—but they struck a third of Russia’s strategic bombers, which fall under the New START treaty dating back to 2010.
There is not a single Russian in the armed forces who believes Ukraine pulled this off without the help of Western intelligence, including from our own country,” Holt said.

He stressed that the world is now in real danger.

“The head of Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces has now openly stated that they are targeting coordinates in Paris, London, and Washington. This is a path of escalation with no reverse gear. I pray that President Trump can find that reverse gear by calling President Putin. But as a military officer with 27 years of service in the U.S. and NATO, I can tell you—we’re in a very dangerous place,” Holt said on June 2. (It’s worth noting that Trump reportedly called Putin the following day.)

The retired general also expressed skepticism that this drone strike has brought Russia any closer to military defeat.

Earlier, several Trump allies warned of the risk of escalation from strikes on Russian airfields—including Trump’s former national security envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, as well as former advisers Stephen Bannon and Michael Thomas Flynn.

Additionally, The New York Times reported yesterday, citing sources, that Trump considers Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a “bad guy who’s pushing toward nuclear war.”