Russia's recent troubles in Ukraine show that at this point, its forces are unable to achieve President Vladimir Putin's original goal of invading the country, the Pentagon's intelligence chief said Friday. .
"We are getting to a point where Mr. Putin will have to review his objectives regarding the (Ukraine) operation," Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier, the head of US military intelligence, said at a briefing on national security intelligence issues nearby. Washington. "Currently it is quite clear that he (Putin) will not be able to achieve what he intended at the beginning of the operation", he added.
President Putin attacked Ukraine on February 24 with the intention, according to US officials, to topple the country's government. From the beginning of the war, Ukrainian forces managed to stop an invasion of Kiev.
Russia suffered another major blow last week, thanks to a Ukrainian counteroffensive that forced its troops to withdraw from much of the country's northeast.
"The Russians planned an invasion but have been forced to retreat," Mr. Berrier said, also citing Mr. Putin's reluctance to fully mobilize Russian forces in the war.
President Joe Biden and other administration officials have been careful not to call Russia's latest withdrawal a victory for Ukraine or a turning point in the war. Analysts warn that it is impossible to predict what may happen in the future.