Ukrainian President Zelensky admitted in an interview with Polish media on the 19th that the situation on the battlefield front lines is very complex and becoming increasingly difficult.
Zelensky said that he recently inspected Kupiansk in the eastern part of Kharkiv Oblast, and Ukrainian forces still control this transportation hub city. However, Russian troops are “applying pressure.”
Zelensky also acknowledged that due to various reasons, “there have been problems with the supply of certain types of ammunition and air defense missiles, and related deliveries have been delayed.”
On the 19th, Putin held his annual nationally televised press conference, continuing to take a tough, uncompromising stance on Russia-Ukraine negotiations. He said that Russian forces are advancing on all fronts, and Ukraine must accept his conditions—including giving up NATO membership and ceding territory—before any hope of a peaceful resolution to the dispute.
US Intelligence: Putin's Goal to Recover Former Soviet Territory Remains Unchanged
In addition, six sources familiar with US intelligence agencies revealed that US intelligence reports continue to warn that Russian President Putin’s war objectives in Ukraine have not changed—his goal remains to occupy all of Ukraine and reclaim parts of European territory that belonged to the former Soviet empire.
Since Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the findings of US intelligence agencies have remained consistent. Sources said that the US findings are basically in line with the views of European leaders and intelligence agencies, namely that Putin covets all of Ukraine as well as territory of the former Soviet bloc, including that of NATO member states.
Currently, Russia controls about 20% of Ukraine’s territory, including most of Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts, parts of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts, as well as the strategically important Crimean Peninsula. Luhansk and Donetsk are the industrial heartlands of the Donbas region.
Putin claims that Crimea and these four oblasts all belong to Russia.