Even a Russian victory in the Donbass will probably not end the Ukraine war.
Moscow/Washington, DC – It has been raging for almost 80 days Ukraine war. There is currently no end in sight. But what if Russia successfully complete the campaign in Donbass? According to US intelligence agencies, that wouldn’t make any difference either.
Allegedly, the Russian President is preparing Wladimir Putin namely to a longer fight in the Ukraine in front. At least that is the opinion of US intelligence coordinator Avril Haines, who spoke at a Senate hearing in the capital Washington on Tuesday (May 10) that Putin was still pursuing plans that went beyond eastern Ukraine. “We assume that Putin’s strategic goals probably haven’t changed,” Haines said. The relocation of the Russian armed forces to the Donbass is probably only temporary.
Ukraine War: Kyiv reports combat preparations in Transnistria
Specifically, this means the neighboring Republic of Moldova. As early as April, a Russian general declared that one of the goals of the Russian offensive in Ukraine was a land connection through southern Ukraine to the pro-Russian separatist region of Transnistria to accomplish. According to the Ukrainian general staff, they are currently observing that armed groups and Russian troops are preparing for a deployment there. Russian forces in the area are “in the midst of preparations for battle,” the Ukrainian General Staff said.
For this reason, too, Haines warned of a further escalation of the Ukraine conflict. The uncertainty of the struggle, which is developing into a war of attrition, combined with the mismatch between Putin’s ambitions and Russia’s military capabilities, means an “unpredictable and potentially escalating course” in the future.
Ukraine War: Will Putin Use Nuclear Weapons?
“With both Russia and Ukraine believing they can move forward militarily, we see no viable avenue for negotiation, at least in the short term,” Haines said. Putin probably also counts on the fact that the determination of the USA and the EU slacking off in the face of inflation and food shortages.
Haines stressed that the US still believes that Moscow will continue to use “nuclear rhetoric” to prevent the US and the West from increasing support for Ukraine. “We continue to assume that President Putin the use of nuclear weapons would likely approve only if he perceived an existential threat to the Russian state or regime,” Haines said. (cs/dpa)
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