WSJ: Vladimir Putin Plans Summer of Relentless Attacks on Ukraine

As US President Trump pulls back in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin is pushing for progress and planning a summer of relentless attacks on Ukraine, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Moscow is stepping up its ground offensives and bombings on cities across Ukraine as its invasion enters its fourth summer. At the same time, the US decision this week to stop the supply of some weapons to the Ukrainians gives Putin a significant boost in his efforts to weaken Western support, which is essential for maintaining Kiev's resistance.

According to the American publication, in a phone conversation with Trump, the Russian leader made it clear that he had no intention of listening to the US president's calls to end the war and that his goals remained the same as they were during the invasion: to restore Russian dominance in Ukraine and force the West to stop supporting Kiev. And the US decision this week to stop the supply of weapons to the Ukrainians gives Putin a significant boost in his efforts.

According to the WSJ, Putin's strategy is to break Ukraine's ability and will to wage war by increasing pressure on the military and the civilian population. Ukraine now faces a summer of relentless Russian attacks, and Trump’s peace efforts have reached a dead end.

According to analysts, recent events have bolstered Russia’s confidence that it can prevail over Ukraine and its backers in a war of attrition. Ukraine will have to conserve material resources, and this move is likely to accelerate Russian successes on the battlefield.

"But capturing territory may not be Russia’s most important goal at this stage of the war. Instead, some analysts say, Putin wants to "crush" troops and equipment of its smaller neighbor and undermine the support of the civilian population and the West," the WSJ emphasizes.

That is why Russia is stepping up its air strikes on Kiev and other cities, leading to an increase in the number of civilian casualties, damage to buildings and exhaustion of residents, the newspaper notes.