The director of the CIA and other US intelligence leaders have predicted what Vladimir Putin may do next, and warned that 'he's angry'.
Intelligence chiefs have reportedly acknowledged the possibility of Russia withdrawing from Ukraine, but are anticipating an escalation of conflict to occur before then.
Avril Haines, the director of national intelligence, first told members of the House Intelligence Committee: 'We assess Putin feels aggrieved the West does not give him proper deference and perceives this as a war he cannot afford to lose.
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'But what he might be willing to accept as a victory may change over time, given the significant costs he is incurring.'
Williams Burns, director of the CIA and a former ambassador to Moscow, has warned that Putin now finds himself in an indefensible position.
He said: 'I think Putin is angry and frustrated right now. He's likely to double down and try to grind down the Ukrainian military with no regard for civilian casualties.
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'But the challenge that he faces – and this is the biggest question that's hung over our analysis of his planning for months now … he has no sustainable political endgame in the face of what is going to continue to be fierce resistance from Ukrainians.
'So I think that's what his calculus has been. And I think that's the reality of what he faces today.'
Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier, head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, also said: 'I believe that when he says something, we should listen very, very carefully and take him at his word.'
Yesterday, March 9, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine via an unprecedented virtual address to the UK's House of Commons.
Zelenskyy's speech to British MPs came almost two weeks since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered troops across the border into Ukraine.
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During his speech, the Ukrainian president described how the war continues to unfold day-by-day, saying constant shelling has taken place across the country but noting that it 'didn't break' the country's citizens. He also said that more than 50 children have so far been killed in the conflict, saying: 'These are the children who could have lived. But these people have taken them away from us.'
He added: 'I would like to remind you of the words the United Kingdom have already heard which are important again.
'We will not give up, and we will not lose, we will fight until the end, in the sea and in the air, we will continue fighting for our land whatever the cost.
'We will fight in the forests, in the fields, on the shores, in the streets.'
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If you would like to donate to the Red Cross Emergency Appeal, which will help provide food, medicines and basic medical supplies, shelter and water to those in Ukraine, click here for more information.
