Russia will defeat Ukraine if the West abandons it, a former NATO commander says

• Russia could defeat Ukraine if the West ceases its support, says ex-NATO chief Philip Breedlove.
• Breedlove was NATO's top commander from 2013 to 2016.

Former NATO chief Philip Breedlove says Ukraine faces defeat in its war against Russia without the West's support.

"If the West abandons Ukraine, it will fight valiantly, but tens of thousands of more Ukrainians will die, and eventually Russia will subjugate all of Ukraine, which will once again be a Russian vassal," Breedlove told Newsweek in a story published on Sunday.

Breedlove, who served as NATO commander from 2013 to 2016, said earlier that Russia would prevail because it "has more people and depth than Ukraine does."

"If the West chooses to give Ukraine what they need to win, Ukraine will win this war. This war is going to end exactly how Western policymakers want and desire it to end," Breedlove said.

Breedlove's comments come as congressional Republicans are standing in the way of giving more support to Ukraine. In December, the GOP blocked an emergency spending bill that would provide Ukraine additional US aid.

Amid this standoff with the House GOP, President Joe Biden in December also indicated that the US will continue to help Ukraine for now.

"We'll continue to supply Ukraine with critical weapons and equipment as long as we can," Biden said in a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in December.

Representatives for Breedlove did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider sent outside regular business hours.