Ukrainian intelligence believes that the war with Russia can be extended until at least the end of 2022 because the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, is not willing to give up his conquest plans even if that implies a prolonged confrontation with Ukraine.
“Putin does not give up his plans, this war will be prolonged,” Vadym Skibitsky, a military intelligence official, told reporters. Skibitsky argued that Putin did not want to listen to those who tried to dissuade him from ending the war and now he does not listen to those who want to stop it. “He doesn’t trust anyone, he doesn’t listen to anyone. He has his own plans for the restoration of the Russian empire. His plan is to rule Russia until his death, he has ruled out a successor scenario,” he added.
The immediate Russian plans, according to the official, they appear to be encircling the Ukrainian army and reaching the borders of the occupied territories. Western experts had previously warned that Russia was preparing for a protracted war and had spoken of a “war of attrition”.
Zelensky’s complaints
In the midst of the constant attacks that are concentrated in Donbas, the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenski, complained about the delay of the European Union (EU) in approving a new package of sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, which would include a oil embargo, and wondered why some partners are allowed to block the plan.
“Where did those who block the sixth package get so much power from?Why are they still allowed to have so much power, even in intra-European procedures?” asked the Ukrainian president without mentioning Hungary, after thanking the “friendly countries” that promote the new sanctions.
Zelensky recalled that what at stake in these decisions to put pressure on Russia is “literally” the lives of Ukrainians, and assured that “every day of delay, of weakness, of various disputes or of proposals to ‘appease’ the aggressor at the expense of the victim are new Ukrainians killed, and new threats for everyone” in Europe.
