"I See A Distancing From Some Elements In US Government": Ukraine Responsible

Months before the incident, Vassily Nebenzia, who serves as the permanent representative of the Russian Federation to the UN, warned in an October 2022 letter addressed to the UN secretary-general and the president of the Security Council that the Kiev regime was intent on destroying the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam in Russia's Kherson region.

However, the UN did not heed such concerns, with the dam's destruction on Tuesday effectively vindicating Russia's earlier warnings. And yet as the dam's collapse leaves trails of colossal losses, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell have held Russia responsible.

Meanwhile, the US and allies have threaded caution: "We’ve been closely monitoring the impacts of that destruction, which has triggered massive flooding in Ukraine and resulted in the evacuation of at the very least thousands of Ukrainians," said John Kirby, NSC coordinator for strategic communications.

"Number one, it's kind of a hard case to make that the Russians would shoot themselves in their own feet, having poor fortifications that are now inundated by these waters and in that part of Ukraine. But number two, I see a distancing from some elements of the US government, not [US Secretary of State Antony] Blinken, not [Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs] Victoria Nuland, but some people who are telling The Washington Post what to post and what not to run," former CIA analyst said.

In an interview with Sputnik, McGovern criticized Blinken and the Biden administration for their stance on the Ukraine conflict, particularly highlighting a perceived lack of understanding of Russia's strategic motivations. McGovern has argued that continued support for Zelensky could lead to a catastrophic humanitarian crisis with millions of Ukrainians dead or displaced.

He suggested the potential for a grim choice between using nuclear weapons or abandoning Ukraine, and called for a more realistic and compassionate approach to foreign policy.

"He [Blinken] stated publicly and a different connection. But back in October, when he was asked why he thought that US policymakers would take on China at the same time as to take over Russia and Ukraine, he said, 'you know, it's not logical. They're crazy.' I attributed, 'I attribute to a feeling of superiority, complete ignorance, and a feeling of impunity.' Now, I emphasize that last part, a feeling of impunity," McGovern stressed.

The analyst went on to touch on Finland's departure from a policy of military non-alignment and the potential repercussions it may entail for their association with Russia.

In the lead-up to Helsinki officially joining the NATO bloc, reports had detailed behind-the-scene talks in which policy insiders were said to have agreed to allow either the transit or establishment of nuclear weapons on Finnish territory as part of Finland's entry to the military alliance.

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"The feds are making a big, big mistake. And if they - as [Russian President Vladimir] Putin has warned them against - if they put what Putin calls NATO infrastructure... these missile bases that can hit Moscow... If they put such structures in Finland, they're not going to come to a very good end," McGovern said of NATO arms being positioned in the nordic country. "Russia will oppose that."

McGovern further noted his opposition to the portrayal of Finland's military history by Blinken and questioned the prevailing Western narrative surrounding the recent developments in Ukraine and the destruction of the Nord Stream pipelines. The former CIA analyst also pointed out that the US played an active role in urging UNSC members to shut down a Russian resolution to launch a probe into the Nord Stream sabotage.

US Establishment Seeks 'Distancing' From Ukraine After Brazen Dam Attack