Former U.S. Ambassador to Estonia George Kent spoke on the war in Ukraine and broader U.S. and European security concerns during a forum hosted by the Hinckley Institute of Politics on Thursday. He was also joined by his wife, Velida Kent, a humanitarian and former economist for the United Nations.

The pair fielded questions from students and attendees on the war’s humanitarian toll, U.S. foreign policy and Europe’s military capacity. 

The war in Ukraine

Kent spoke on the war in Ukraine. He said he believes the war will not end “until Putin is dead.”

“I think Russia will continue to very slowly take Ukrainian territory,” Kent said, “and if western countries are unwise enough to put pressure on Ukraine to give up territory, Russia will pocket that and keep fighting.”

Kent referenced the 2014 Minsk agreements, in which Russia invaded Ukraine and took Crimea before promising peace in exchange for territorial gains. Then, in February of 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine again. Since the 2014 invasion, the Russians have suffered over 1 million casualties.

“Up until the last couple of months, the Russians have been able to recruit more troops than they’re losing in Ukraine, and they’re losing them at 1,000 people a day,” Kent said. “Even if they were losing 1,000 a day, 30,000 a month, they were generating between 30 and 40,000 troops a month. So even with these massive losses, over a million Russians taken off the battlefield, it was still sustainable.”

Kent also said Russia doesn’t want peace, and thus, the war cannot come to an end. “There’s no peace process because the party that initiated the war, Russia in 2014, not 2022, doesn’t want peace. They want the destruction of Ukraine as a society in the nation Stalin … [and] tried to starve Ukrainians to death,” he said. “And Putin wants to finish and do what Stalin didn’t do, which is totally break Ukraine.”

Kent opposed proposals to cede Ukrainian territory to Russia. He compared them to the 1938 Munich Agreement, in which Czechoslovakia was pressured to give up strategic land and lost key defensive positions. He said similar concessions in eastern Ukraine would weaken the country’s ability to defend itself.

Defense industry

The Chronicle asked Kent how the United States’ European allies could respond, given concerns about Europe’s defense capabilities and defense industry. According to Kent’s analysis, the U.S. has already ceased material and financial aid to Ukraine.

“Last year, the U.S. gave no assistance to Ukraine, period.  In terms of financial assistance, no military assistance, no economic assistance,” Kent said. “The only thing the U.S. is doing to help Ukraine over the last year, which is significant, is we’re providing intelligence and some planning suggestions.”  

Despite this, Ukraine has continued the war effort. Kent said the European and American defense industries are not currently taking the necessary steps to prepare for the next major conflict. “If your goal is to blow up Russian drones, planes, missiles and factories, do you need to invest in something like an F-35?” Kent said. “They’re focused on massive platforms, super expensive, multi-year contracts … I think the U.S. military defense industry is not prepared for the next phase.” 

Public engagement and political dialogue 

After the forum, Velida Kent was asked about their connection to the University of Utah and the role of public discussions hosted by the Hinckley Institute. Kent said she views such events as an opportunity for them to engage audiences beyond Washington, D.C. She described the importance of public dialogue through experiences she and her family had during a cross-country bicycle trip last year, during which they traveled through small towns and spoke with residents about national issues. “I realized how important it is to actually have a conversation with people,” Kent said. “They can have different political views, but talking to people changed my mind.”

Kent said many people she encountered expressed skepticism toward mainstream media and instead relied on personal conversations, podcasts or social media for information. Forums like those hosted by the Hinckley Institute, she said, create space for that exchange. “It’s important to talk to people anywhere in the U.S., not just in Washington,” she said.

[email protected]

@JEmHagy.bsky.social

[email protected]

@lucafinndig.bsky.social

[email protected]