Putin refused concessions on Ukraine after the CIA chief's visit - WP
Kyiv • UNN
Ratcliffe failed to convince Putin to make concessions on Ukraine. After the visit, Russia intensified its strikes on civilian infrastructure.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe failed to persuade Russian dictator vladimir putin to make concessions regarding Ukraine during his recent visit to moscow. putin may instead be preparing for a further escalation of the war. The Washington Post reports this, citing sources, and UNN relays.
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"vladimir putin, seeking to take advantage of Ukraine's severely weakened air defense system, is intensifying a bombing campaign that he believes will force Kyiv to concede on some of its key territorial demands, possibly as early as this winter," the publication writes.
It is noted that in the 10 days since the rare and unexpected visit to moscow by CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Russian forces have intensified missile strikes and attacks by jet-powered drones, targeting civilian infrastructure, including energy and water-supply facilities, supermarkets, and food warehouses.
Against the backdrop of the worsening state of the Russian economy and growing public discontent, putin expressed confidence this week in the successful course of the war.
His words, the publication writes, appear to confirm assessments that Ratcliffe's visit not only failed to persuade the head of the kremlin to end the war but may also have strengthened his determination to avoid a ceasefire and continue pressuring Ukraine to cede territory to moscow.
In moscow, Ratcliffe warned his counterparts in the Russian security services that escalating the war would have the opposite effect. According to three people familiar with the course of his talks, he urged a return to negotiations, arguing that russia's position was weak and would continue to deteriorate.
However, after the meetings, Ratcliffe felt that he had delivered the intended message, "but was unable to change the situation." russia perceived the visit as an "attempt to persuade putin to stop, but putin interpreted it as weakness."
"The message was: things are not going very well for you. It is time to talk. Let's sort this out, because in six months or a year things will be even worse for you," the source said.
putin's response to the visit, the publication indicates, appears to have consisted of continuous, round-the-clock airstrikes on Ukraine, as well as his statements at a regional security conference in Kyrgyzstan, where he met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and promised support to Tehran in its war with the United States.
"The escalation of Russian strikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities following Ratcliffe's visit may be a certain signal to Washington that russia is continuing its offensive operation and that there is no need to change its position and become more flexible," the source said.
Russia's military advance in Ukraine has virtually stalled, while its budget is becoming increasingly strained: the deficit had grown to $74.4 billion by the end of July, or 2.8% of GDP, significantly exceeding the government's initial forecast of 1.6% for this year.
The advance of Russian troops toward the administrative borders of Donetsk region, a strategically important area of the fortress belt in eastern Ukraine, has been stalling for several months. But the recent rise in oil prices, caused by the resumption of hostilities between Iran and the United States, emboldened putin, the publication writes.
This allowed the Russian leadership to believe that it could still achieve gains regarding Ukraine, even though the chief economist of one of russia's largest state-owned banks publicly warned that russia cannot win a war of attrition against Ukraine as long as Kyiv is supported by the West, a Moscow businessman said.
"There is a view in the kremlin that a few more months of war are not a problem for russia and the Russian economy, but for Ukraine it is a huge problem," the Russian businessman said.