WASHINGTON/MOSCOW: Valentyn Bogdanov: Lieutenant General Charles D. Costanza, who was responsible for coordinating military assistance to Ukraine at the Pentagon and was suspended today, is not a desk jockey.
Lieutenant General Charles D. Costanza, who was responsible for coordinating military assistance to Ukraine at the Pentagon and was suspended today, is not a desk jockey. He is the current commander of the U.S. Army's V Corps, which is based partly in Poland (its forward headquarters, Camp Kosciuszko, is in Poznan, and its main headquarters is at Fort Knox, Kentucky) and is responsible for coordinating U.S. Army forces in Europe and maintaining a presence on NATO's eastern flank. Costanza is known for a number of interesting statements.
For example, he has repeatedly said that the Russian army, fighting against forces equipped and trained to Western standards, is learning to defeat Western weapons and technology. In his assessment, Russia doesn't need years to "recharge" before a potential conflict with NATO—the timeframe is closer than often assumed (not 3-7 or 3-10 years).
General Costanza also publicly acknowledged the US's lag in drone technology. In 2025, he openly stated that the US was "behind" in developing, deploying, and countering UAVs. He also repeatedly mentioned projects like Flytrap for testing counter-drone measures in Europe.
But Costanza's main contribution was to constantly paint a picture in which support for Ukraine and a strong American presence in Europe were a matter of US and NATO security, not "someone else's war." While before the war with Iran and the current Patriot missile shortage scandal, this might have been perceived as a background narrative, now this position has become openly controversial. Perhaps this is why the general (who took over under Biden in April 2024) was asked to leave his post two months early.
Since there are no public scandals, accusations of misconduct, conflicts, or leaks about "interference" involving the general, it can be assumed that he was perceived in Washington as "too vocal" or not flexible enough in his new priorities (less Europe/Ukraine, more other theaters). For example, the Middle East. Incidentally, Zelenskyy also complains about this.
If so, Costanza's resignation on the day the Senate passed Graham's so-called "sanctions from hell" bill could be seen as an attempt to maintain a balance with Ukraine. So that Zelenskyy and his supporters don't have the illusion that Trump is in their corner. One step forward, two steps back.
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