US Spies Say Putin’s Ukraine Goals Still Stretch Beyond Donbas
- Intel chief Haines says Putin plans a ‘prolonged conflict’
- Pentagon’s Berrier says Russia likely to wield nuclear threats
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Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to focus his military’s efforts in eastern Ukraine is probably a “temporary shift to regain the initiative,” the U.S.’s top intelligence official told senators Tuesday.
“We assess President Putin is preparing for prolonged conflict in Ukraine during which he still intends to achieve goals beyond the Donbas” region, Avril Haines, the director of national intelligence, told a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee on “worldwide threats.”