A senior U.S. intelligence official has warned that Vladimir Putin could see Ukraine’s defeat as an existential threat to his regime and possibly resort to nuclear weapons.
We gathered the key news from last night and last night in connection with the war in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian army has recaptured Ukrainian villages northeast of Kharkiv
The Ukrainian army has recaptured several Ukrainian villages northeast of Kharkov, according to Reuters.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi urged people to be calm in his late-night speech yesterday.
– However, I would like to urge all our citizens not to spread excessive feelings. We should not create an atmosphere of moral pressure when certain gains are expected on a weekly and even daily basis, Zelenskyi said.
However, a counterattack near Kharkov could mark a new stage in the war.
– Ukrainians are approaching the Russian border. So all the gains made by the Russians in the early days in northeastern Ukraine are increasingly slipping away, said Neil Melvin from the RUSI incubator in London.
U.S. intelligence: Putin prepares for protracted conflict
A senior U.S. intelligence official has warned that Vladimir Putin may regard Ukraine’s defeat as an existential threat to its regime and possibly resort to nuclear weapons, writes British newspaper Guardian. (switch to another service)
The warning was issued to the Senate on Tuesday in an intelligence assessment of global threats.
Director of the National Intelligence Service Avril Haines told the Senate Armed Forces Committee that Putin will continue to demonstrate Russia ‘s nuclear arsenal in an attempt to intimidate the United States and its allies from supporting Ukraine.
If Putin decided to use a nuclear weapon, the world would see some warning about it, such as a new large-scale nuclear exercise, Haines said.
According to Haines, President Vladimir Putin appears to be preparing for a long conflict. Russia’s victory in Ukraine’s eastern Donbass region will not necessarily end the war.
According to the head of the intelligence service, there are “indications” that Putin wants to extend the land bridge to Transnistria and thus control the entire Black Sea coast of Ukraine. However, there may be a stalemate ahead in which neither side would be able to make a breakthrough.
Despite all the setbacks, Putin is likely to trust his country’s strength and that U.S. and EU determination will weaken as food shortages, inflation and energy prices worsen, Haines said.
The United States is voting today on a new 40 billion aid package for Ukraine
The U.S. House of Representatives is due to vote on Tuesday night local time on a new $ 40 billion package of measures in favor of Ukraine.
Before Tuesday’s vote, part of the text of the law was made public, he says CNN (switch to another service). The legislation is expected to have the support of two parties.
The package includes expenditure on ammunition sent and to be sent to Ukraine, as well as funding for emergency humanitarian aid.
In addition, nearly $ 9 billion has been set aside to replenish U.S. equipment sent to Ukraine. Many lawmakers have expressed concern about the replacement of stockpiles of weapons given to Ukraine by the United States, particularly the Stinger and Javelin missiles.
If the package is passed, the text of the law will be implemented swiftly, according to Democratic leadership.