US says Russia revising war aims, will focus on Donbas region

WASHINGTON: Russia is revising its war aims and will redeploy forces from Northern Ukraine to the region around the Donbas in eastern Ukraine, rather than target most of the territory, said US National Security Advisor (NSA) Jake Sullivan.

Speaking at a White House press briefing, NSA Sullivan said Russian forces will retreat from Kyiv to Belarus, with the plan to deploy dozens of additional battalion tactical troops, constituting tens of thousands of soldiers to the front line in Ukraine’s east.
“At this juncture, we believe that Russia is revising its war aims. Russia is repositioning its forces to concentrate its offensive operations in the Eastern and parts of Southern Ukraine, rather than target most of the territory,” Sullivan told reporters at the White House.

“All indications are that Russia will seek to surround and overwhelm Ukrainian forces in eastern Ukraine. We anticipate that Russian commanders are now executing the redeployment from Northern Ukraine to the region around the Donbas in eastern Ukraine,” he added.

At the White House presser, Sullivan said the US assess that Russia will focus on defeating Ukrainian forces in broader Luhansk and Donetsk provinces which encompasses significantly more territory than Russian proxies already controlled before the new invasion began in late February.

“Russia could then use any tactical successes that it achieves to propagate a narrative of progress and mask or try to discount or downplay prior military failures. In order to protect any territory, it ceases in the east, we expect Russia could potentially extend its forces projection and presence even deeper into Ukraine,” he said.

Jake Sullivan said that images from Bucha, of the “atrocities” committed by Russia against Ukrainian civilians, underscore that “now is not the time for complacency.”

“The images from Bucha so powerfully reinforce now is not the time for complacency. The Ukrainians are defending their homeland courageously, and the United States will continue to back them with military assistance, humanitarian aid and economic support,” Sullivan said.

The US will announce new sanctions against Russia this week, he added. (ANI)