The Sabotage of Peace | General Harald Kujat

In this interview, retired four-star German Air Force General Harald Kujat – former Inspector General of the Bundeswehr and Chairman of the NATO Military Committee – offers a rare blend of high-level military experience and clear-eyed diplomatic realism. As the most senior military official, he was the interface between the political leadership and the military. It was his job to draft the war plans, of how many tanks, troops and military hardware was needed for any and all war scenario plans. He, more than anyone, understands the true cost of war.

He also served a one of the chief negotiators with the Russians in the 1990s and early 2000s, having personally met Putin himself. This experience provided him perspective on the situation now and and what it would take to resolve the current conflict.

General Kujat challenges the dominant Western narrative on the Ukraine war without whitewashing Russian responsibility. He dissects Europe’s role in prolonging the conflict, from the derailed Istanbul negotiations in 2022 to the political climate that equates serious peace efforts with being “pro-Putin.” He warns that the greatest danger now lies in the creeping fusion of Ukrainian and NATO involvement – a path that risks escalation far beyond Ukraine’s borders.

Looking beyond the battlefield, he also explores the shift from a unipolar to a multipolar world order, and why any sustainable European security architecture must include, rather than exclude, Russia. For Kujat, a negotiated peace is still possible – but only if political leaders abandon maximalist illusions and take the legitimate security concerns of all parties seriously.

If you find this conversation as urgent as we do, please share it widely – especially with those who don’t yet see how dangerous our current course has become.

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Best,
James Patrick
Director BigPicture.Watch