Putin continues to believe he can win in Ukraine - Nuland
The offensive launched by Russia in Donbas looks "very miserable". But Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to believe that he can win in Ukraine.
This was stated by the US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland in a conversation with journalists, reports Censor.NЕТ with reference to LIGА.
Nuland was asked whether Russians continue to support Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
"You see how the war is going on in the east, in Bakhmut. Russia has said that it is launching a new offensive. Well, if that's the case, it looks very pathetic, in my opinion," Nuland said. She also added that Ukraine is planning a counteroffensive "in some time".
Nuland also noted that "more than 200,000 Russians" have been killed or wounded in the fighting, that Russia has lost more than half of its military equipment in Ukraine, and that more than a million of its "smartest Russians" have fled the country.
At the same time, Nuland believes that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is "complacent enough to believe that he can win in Ukraine."
All of this leaves open the question of what else needs to happen for the vast majority of Russians to stop supporting the continuation of the war, Nuland said.
