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Russian President Vladimir Putin still intends to occupy most of Ukraine, US intelligence services have said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
However, Moscow’s military forces have been so weakened in the war that US officials believe they can only make slow progress.<\/p>\n
This means that the war can last for a long time, said the head of the US National Intelligence Agency, Avril Haines.<\/p>\n
In March, Moscow refocused troops on eastern Donbas after failing to gain control of the Ukrainian capital Kiev and other cities.<\/p>\n
Putin still has the same intentions he had at the start of the conflict, Haines said – to control most of Ukraine.<\/p>\n
However, she believes Russia has little chance of achieving that goal in the near future.<\/p>\n
“We see a mismatch between Putin’s short-term goals in this area and his military capabilities, a kind of mismatch between his ambitions and what the military can achieve,” she told a US Commerce Department conference.<\/p>\n
Ever since it failed to achieve its initial goal of occupying Kiev, Russia has focused on controlling the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine.<\/p>\n
In this large industrial area, Putin claims, without providing evidence, that Ukraine has committed genocide against Russian-speakers.<\/p>\n
Russian forces have made progress in the region, taking control of the town of Severodonjeck, but progress has been slow and Ukrainian forces are putting up fierce resistance.<\/p>\n
In her first public comment since May on the war in Ukraine, Haines suggested that the war could last for a period of time and that “the picture should be rather bleak.”<\/p>\n
She has said that intelligence agencies have three scenarios of how the war could unfold, and it could most likely be a conflict with slow progress.<\/p>\n
The other scenario, which is less likely to materialize, is for Russia to make great progress, or for the war font to stabilize if Ukraine makes little progress.<\/p>\n
This means that Moscow may become more dependent on “asymmetric means” to target enemies, including cyber-attacks and attempts to control energy sources or even nuclear weapons.<\/p>\n
Haines made the remarks on Wednesday, as NATO leaders vowed to stay behind Ukraine as long as needed.<\/p>\n
Leaders have agreed to increase their presence in Europe, and have invited Finland and Sweden to join the alliance.<\/p>\n
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg has said the alliance has made the biggest policy review since the Cold War.<\/p>\n
US President Joe Biden has vowed that NATO will be “strengthened in all directions – on land, air and sea”.<\/p>\n
Responding to the possibility of Sweden and Finland becoming members of NATO, Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused the military alliance of deliberately escalating tensions.<\/p>\n
“If NATO troops and infrastructure are positioned, Russia will be obliged to respond,” Putin said during a visit to Turkmenistan.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the British government has pledged to allocate $ 1.2 billion in military aid to Ukraine, nearly doubling the amount of aid.<\/p>\n
Only the United States has sent more military aid to Ukraine than Britain.<\/p>\n
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said his country needs about $ 5 billion a month to fund the war against Russia. Radio Free Europe<\/a><\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n top channel\n
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