Russian leader Vladimir Putin is determined to conquer Ukraine, betting he can outlast Kiev's Western backers and prevail on the battlefield, even if Russian troops advance slowly. This was written by Bloomberg, citing four sources familiar with the Kremlin's military strategy.
Having secured a new six-year term in power and trying to blame Kiev for Russia's deadliest terror attack in two decades, Putin has vowed to achieve his military goals at any cost. Previous diplomatic contacts with the United States ended in failure.
At the same time, US officials said they saw no sign that the Russian president was serious late last year about finding a way to end the fighting. In addition, Washington rejects the idea of ceasefire negotiations without the participation of Ukraine.
Alexei Mukhin, head of the Moscow Center for Political Information, believes that Putin will now escalate the war in Ukraine. His goal is clear: victory.
With Russia lacking the manpower needed to make a decisive breakthrough and Ukraine struggling to supply its forces with ammunition, there are no signs that either side will be able to end the war anytime soon. Since winning elections last month, Putin has stepped up missile attacks on Ukrainian cities, showing he is not interested in giving Ukraine and its allies time to rearm.
The Kremlin may be preparing the ground for an escalation of the war, including possible further mobilization. Now, however, Russia may have trouble launching major new offensives to capture cities like Kharkiv.
Ruslan Pukhov, a Russian defense analyst and director of the Moscow-based Center for Strategic and Technological Analysis, said Russia would not be able to capture the city of Kharkiv – a scenario that has been heavily discussed in the Russian media in recent days. According to him, Russia does not have enough forces, and the city is too big.