Putin is driving Russia 'into the ground' and Russian elites must be convinced to 'remove' him: former NATO ambassador

Former U.S. ambassador to NATO Kurt Volker on Monday said that it may be possible to convince Russian elites to overthrow Russian President Vladimir Putin if they understand just how dire their situation is.

During a CNN interview, Volker explained exactly what NATO should be doing in its big meeting this week to bring an end to Russia's war in Ukraine.

"Russia's military invasion of Ukraine is failing," he said. "The ground forces are not moving. They've had massive defection, massive equipment destruction, massive casualties... they're in a desperate situation. We can push back and help the civilians and then allow time for the sanctions to take effect, which ultimately should bring Putin to the table."

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Volker was then asked if Putin was rational enough to see that it is in his best interest to negotiate.

"Russia's a country, not just one person," he replied. "There are military leaders, intelligence leaders, business leaders. And if we make clear the stakes for Russia, that Putin is driving his country into the ground, then either they will force him to compromise, or they may perhaps remove him."

Watch the video below.

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