US intelligence: Ukraine and Russia believe flawed truce is worse than war continuation, says Bloomberg
An assessment by the US Director of National Intelligence has stated that although Ukraine and Russia have shown a willingness to agree to a partial ceasefire, the leaders of both countries perceive the risks of a prolonged war as lower than those of an unsatisfactory peace settlement.
Source: Bloomberg, as reported by European Pravda
Details: This intelligence assessment was presented on Tuesday 25 March during the Senate Intelligence Committee's hearing on the annual Worldwide Threat report, during which senior US intelligence officials testified.
According to the assessment, although Kyiv and Moscow have demonstrated a willingness to test a partial ceasefire, "leaders for now probably still see the risks of a longer war as less than those of an unsatisfying settlement".
Officials from the Trump administration are aiming for a cease-fire by 20 April, but Ukrainian and European officials see this as excessively ambitious, noting Russian President Vladimir Putin's efforts to delay the negotiations.
The assessment suggests that for Putin, "positive battlefield trends allow for some strategic patience, and for Ukraine, conceding territory or neutrality to Russia without substantial security guarantees from the West could prompt domestic backlash and future insecurity".
Nevertheless, both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy seem to recognise the risks of a prolonged war. The assessment highlights that a drawn-out war could damage the Russian economy and lead to "undesired escalation with the West". Meanwhile, for Ukraine, the future of Western aid remains uncertain.
Moscow continues to gain ground on the battlefield, with the assessment emphasising that a war of attrition favours Russia's military strength. It warns that this strategy "will lead to a gradual but steady erosion of Kyiv's position on the battlefield, regardless of any US or allied attempts to impose new and greater costs on Moscow".
US intelligence also continues to see a risk that Putin could resort to nuclear weapons. "Russia's inability to achieve quick and decisive battlefield wins, coupled with Ukrainian strikes within Russia, continues to drive concerns that Putin might use nuclear weapons," the assessment notes.
Background:
After discussions in Saudi Arabia on 25 March, the delegations from the United States, Ukraine and Russia reached an agreement to work towards a truce in the Black Sea and a ban on strikes targeting energy infrastructure.
However, Ukraine's Defence Minister Rustem Umierov noted that further technical consultations are required to put these agreements into action.
Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Bloomberg
15 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Bloomberg: The China Show 06/12/2025
'Bloomberg: The China Show' is your definitive source for news and analysis on the world's second-biggest economy. From politics and policy to tech and trends, Yvonne Man and David Ingles give global investors unique insight, delivering in-depth discussions with the newsmakers who matter. (Source: Bloomberg)
16 minutes ago
Trump administration hit with second lawsuit over restrictions on asylum access
McALLEN, Texas -- Immigration advocates filed a class action lawsuit Wednesday over the Trump administration's use of a proclamation that effectively put an end to being able to seek asylum at ports of entry to the United States. The civil lawsuit was filed in a Southern California federal court by the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies, the American Immigration Council, Democracy Forward, and the Center for Constitutional Rights. The lawsuit is asking the court to find the proclamation unlawful, set aside the policy ending asylum at ports of entry and restore access to the asylum process at ports of entry, including for those who had appointments that were canceled when President Donald Trump took office. Unlike a similar lawsuit filed in February in a Washington, D.C., federal court representing people who had already reached U.S. soil and sought asylum after crossing between ports of entry, Wednesday's lawsuit focuses on people who are not on U.S. soil and are seeking asylum at ports of entry. No response was immediately issued by the Department of Homeland Security or Customs and Border Protection, which were both among the defendants listed. Trump's sweeping proclamation issued on his first day in office changed asylum policies, effectively ending asylum at the border. The proclamation said the screening process created by Congress under the Immigration and Nationality Act 'can be wholly ineffective in the border environment' and was 'leading to the unauthorized entry of innumerable illegal aliens into the United States.' Immigrant advocates said that under the proclamation noncitizens seeking asylum at a port of entry are asked to present medical and criminal histories, a requirement for the visa process but not for migrants who are often fleeing from immediate danger. 'Nothing in the INA or any other source of law permits Defendants' actions,' the immigrant advocates wrote in their complaint. Thousands of people who sought asylum through the CBP One app, a system developed under President Joe Biden, had their appointments at ports of entry canceled on Trump's first day in office as part of the proclamation that declared an invasion at the border. 'The Trump administration has taken drastic steps to block access to the asylum process, in flagrant violation of U.S. law,' the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies stated in a news release Wednesday.
Yahoo
16 minutes ago
- Yahoo
White House preparing Trump's meetings at G7 summit, which Zelenskyy attends
The White House has confirmed that it is preparing separate bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit, where, in addition to the G7 leaders, the presidents of Brazil, Mexico and Ukraine are expected to attend. Source: White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt during a press briefing in Washington, quoted by Ukrinform Quote from Leavitt: "I can confirm there will be quite a few bilateral meetings between the president [Trump – ed.] and other foreign leaders." Details: Meanwhile, Leavitt did not specify whether a meeting between President Donald Trump and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is planned. Quote from Leavitt: "The White House is still working very hard to finalise that schedule, and we will provide that for you as soon as we have it." Background: The Office of the President of Ukraine hopes to organise a meeting between Zelenskyy and Trump on the sidelines of the G7 summit on 15-17 June. Last week, Zelenskyy confirmed that he had received an invitation to the G7 summit. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
