US warns Russia to intensify its military operations in Ukraine after weeks of stalled progress
Pentagon officials believed Russia was revising its goal for the war after failing to capture Kyiv
Pentagon officials believed Russia was revising its goal for the war after failing to capture Kyiv
Next phase of renewed attacks ‘could be measured in months or longer’ - National Security Adviser
U.S. government on Monday warned that Russian forces might intensify military operations in Ukraine after weeks of stalled ground progresses.
“Russia is repositioning its forces to concentrate its offensive operations in eastern and parts of southern Ukraine, rather than target most of the territory,” national security advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters at the White House.
Sullivan said when Russia started its so-called ‘special military operation’ war, the plans were to seize the capital of Kyiv, replace the Zelensky government and take control of much if not all of Ukraine.
“Russia believed that it could accomplish these objectives swiftly and efficiently,” however, Moscow has failed to capture Kyiv.
Recent reports suggest that Russian forces in Ukraine have been plagued with several logistical problems on the battlefield, including fuel and food shortages.
“All indications are that Russia will seek to surround and overwhelm Ukrainian forces in eastern Ukraine,” Sullivan said. “We anticipate that Russian commanders are now executing the redeployment from northern Ukraine to the region around the Donbas.”
Renewed attacks expected
The Biden administration now expects the renewed ground offensive in eastern Ukraine will likely “continue to launch air and missile strikes across the rest of the country to cause military and economic damage, and frankly, to cause terror,” Sullivan mentioned.
A senior U.S. Defense Department official told CNBC that the Kremlin has moved about 65% of its forces near Kyiv to Belarus.
The official said the Pentagon believes Russian troops are being resupplied with additional manpower in Belarus before deploying back to Ukraine, and the majority will likely move to the Donbas region.
The U.S. believes the “vast majority” of Russian forces are still in Ukraine and that Kyiv is still under threat, the official told CNBC.
While Sullivan didn’t provide a timeline of how long the Biden administration expects the war to last, he said, “It may not be just a matter of a few more weeks.
“This next phase could be measured in months or longer,” he added.