U.S. intelligence officials have found Russian President Vladimir Putin’s advisers misrepresenting the Kremlin’s poor performance. UkraineConfirmed by the Associated Press report and CBS News.
An anonymous US official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media said that the intelligence report showed that Putin was aware of the situation and that tensions between him and senior Russian military officials were high. President Biden, in an exchange with reporters, did not comment. Late Wednesday, White House Director of Communications Kate Beddingfield will not say whether the president approved of the intelligence release.
But the administration hopes that the release of this finding will help Putin reconsider his options in Ukraine. The war is bloody The stalemate in much of the countryUnexpectedly strong security was provided by Ukrainian forces and volunteers, resulting in heavy casualties and a drop in the morale of Russian troops.
However, US officials say the ad runs the risk of further isolating Putin, part of a drive to regain Russian value lost by the collapse of the Soviet Union.
The Pentagon agrees with the intelligence community last month that Putin’s defense ministry was “not fully informed” at every turn. Defense Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters Wednesday that he was “uncomfortable” that he did not have the full picture. “This is his war. He chose it,” Kirby said. “Therefore, it is true that he does not have all the circumstances, so that he does not fully understand the extent to which his forces are failing in Ukraine – to be honest with you is a little embarrassing.”
Kirby said the lack of all the environment he needed could affect the negotiations.
“If he is not informed, how will his negotiators come to an agreement? You do not know how such a leader would behave,” Kirby said.
In Algeria on Wednesday, when asked about a report that Putin had been misled by his defense ministers, Foreign Secretary Anthony Blinken did not directly confirm the story, but told reporters, “You did not do one of Achilles’ dictatorships. I think that’s what we see in Russia. “
On Wednesday, President Biden spoke on the phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zhelensky for about 55 minutes and said an additional $ 500 million would be provided for direct assistance to Ukraine. This is the latest installment of US aid as the Russian invasion intensifies.
The White House said the two had already reviewed the security assistance provided to Ukraine and the impact of weapons on the war.
The unidentified official did not elaborate on the basic evidence of how US intelligence determined him.
The intelligence community has determined that Putin did not know that his army was used and lost in Ukraine. Moreover, it has determined that he is not fully aware of the size of the Russian economyRussia’s economy is collapsing despite the reopening of its stock market It is being damaged by sanctions imposed by the United States and its allies.
The findings show that Putin “suffered a clear break with the flow of accurate information,” and that Putin’s senior advisers were “afraid to tell him the truth,” the official said.
Zelesnkyy has pressed the Biden administration and Western allies to supply military jets to Ukraine, which the United States and other NATO nations have so far refused to accommodate because of fears that this could lead to an escalation of Russia’s war over Ukraine’s borders.
Prior to the announcement of $ 500 million in aid on Wednesday, the Biden administration had sent about $ 2 billion in humanitarian and security assistance to Ukraine since the start of the war in late February.
This is part of a $ 13.6 billion bill approved by Congress earlier this month in a major spending bill for Ukraine. The House and Senate will receive secret explanations about Ukraine on Wednesday.
The new intelligence comes after the White House on Tuesday expressed skepticism over Russia’s public announcement that it would withdraw operations near Kiev in a bid to boost confidence in ongoing talks between Ukrainian and Russian officials in Turkey.
And Ukrainian officials claim that Russia exists The shelling near Kiev continued And the northern city of Chernihiv, despite Russia’s claims that it will reduce measures to “increase mutual trust” in peace talks.
The Pentagon said on Wednesday that it had seen some Russian troops moving north or south of Kiev towards Belarus in the past 24 hours. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said in an interview with CNN and Fox Business that the United States does not consider withdrawing, but rather an attempt by Russia to repatriate, reorganize and re – deploy its troops.
Putin has long been seen as isolated outside Russia and surrounded by officials who have never told him the truth. U.S. officials have publicly stated that Putin’s isolation during the Govt-19 epidemic may have given the Russian president untrue views on how quickly information flow could seize Ukraine.
Before the war the Biden administration launched an unprecedented effort To advertise It relied on Putin’s invasion plans, based on intelligence findings. Although Russia was still invading, the White House attracted the attention of Ukraine and pushed allies who were initially reluctant to back down from the severe sanctions that had plagued the Russian economy.
But Lieutenant General Scott Ferrier, head of the Security Intelligence Service, said in a recent testimony before Congress that the United States underestimated Ukraine’s willingness to fight before the invasion, underscoring the limitations of intelligence.
Sarah Cook, Eleanor Watson and Bo Erickson contributed to this report.
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