Former CIA Director and retired U.S. Army General David Petraeus spoke at the Kyiv Security Forum and told CBS News that Ukraine has “redefined modern warfare.” Petraeus, traveling across Ukraine this week, delivered remarks deep underground in a parking lot because of ongoing drone and missile threats to Kyiv.
Petraeus said Russia no longer has the upper hand despite outnumbering and outgunning Ukraine and having a far larger economy. “The Ukrainian forces right now are stopping the Russians cold on the front lines,” he said, noting continued Russian glide bombs and nightly drone attacks — “in fact, there were 400 drones just today with dozens of missiles.”
He emphasized that over recent weeks Ukrainian forces have made greater incremental gains than the Russians. Petraeus attributed that not only to the tenacity, determination and expertise of Ukrainian soldiers but to “the extraordinary innovation that has characterized what’s going on in Ukraine over the last two or three years.” He said Ukrainians realized they could not outnumber or outgun Russia, so they chose to outsmart them.
Petraeus gave specific examples of Ukrainian technical advances he has observed, saying Ukraine’s cruise missile now flies further and carries a heavier payload than America’s cruise missile. He stressed the importance of the United States continuing to learn from and support Ukrainian partners as they innovate throughout the war.
CBS News international reporter Aidan Stretch interviewed Petraeus in Kyiv following his speech.