![]() Russia could then use any tactical successes it achieves to propagate a narrative of progress and mask or un- or try to discount or downplay prior military failures. We assess Russia will focus on defeating the Ukrainian forces in the broader Luhansk and Donetsk provinces, which encompasses significantly more territory than Russian proxies already controlled before the new invasion began in late February. Russian forces are already well on their way of retreating from Kyiv to Belarus as Russia likely prepares to deploy dozens of additional battalion tactical groups, constituting tens of thousands of soldiers, to the frontline in Ukraine’s east. We anticipate that Russian commanders are now executing their redeployment from northern Ukraine to the region around the Donbas in eastern Ukraine. All indications are that Russia will seek to surround and overwhelm Ukrainian forces in eastern Ukraine. Russia is repositioning its forces to concentrate its offensive operations in eastern and parts of southern Ukraine, rather than target most of the territory. Russia was surprised that President Biden and the United States were so effective in rallying the world to prepare for and respond to the invasion.Īnd after President Biden reinforced and reinvigorated Western unity at a series of summits in Brussels just 11 days ago, the Russians have now realized that the West will not break.Īt this juncture, we believe that Russia is revising its war aims. Vladimir Putin also believed that the West would not hold together in support of Ukraine. And many Ukrainian civilians have joined local militias in addition to using nonviolent means to resist. The Ukrainian military has performed exceptionally well. The Ukrainian people, backed resolutely by the United States and other nations, have held firm. Russia believed that it could accomplish these objectives swiftly and efficiently.īut Russia did not account for the strength of the Ukrainian military and the Ukrainian people, or the amount or effectiveness of military assistance provided by the United States and its allies and partners. When Russia started this war, its initial aims were to seize the capital of Kyiv, replace the Zelenskyy government, and take control of much - if not all - of Ukraine. Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine more than a month ago. Today, I’d like to take a step back and talk about where we are and where we think we are going. We are also working intensively with our European allies on further sanctions to raise the pressure and raise the cost on Putin and on Russia. And as the President said, we will work with the world to ensure there is full accountability for these crimes. We had already concluded that Russia committed war crimes in Ukraine, and the information from Bucha appears to show further evidence of war crimes. And as the horrific images that have emerged from Bucha have shown, that’s exactly what they have done. We released information even before Russia’s invasion showing that Russia would engage in acts of brutality against civilians, included it tar- including targeted killings of dissidents and others they deemed a threat to their occupation. The images that we see are tragic, they’re shocking, but unfortunately, they’re not surprising. With apologies to Jen and to you, my remarks are not going to be so brief because I have a number of points I want to get through before opening it to questions.įirst, you heard the President today condemn in powerful terms the atrocities committed by Russian forces retreating from Bucha and other towns in Ukraine. And then we will do a briefing from there. We have a return guest: Jake Sullivan, our National Security Advisor, who will give some brief remarks, take some questions. Get Involved Show submenu for “Get Involved””.The White House Show submenu for “The White House””.Office of the United States Trade Representative.Office of Science and Technology Policy. ![]() Executive Offices Show submenu for “Executive Offices””.Administration Show submenu for “Administration””.
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