Russian President Vladimir Putin

HOME and Security Editor Mark White says the loss of two Russian military Generals is a big blow to Putin.

"No one will be taking his phone calls in the long term. Mr White gave expert insight into how common it was for high ranking army officials to die, and the security expert went on to discuss what a blow it would be for Putin. Mr White added: "I think in the American military there was a Lieutenant General, I think he was killed in Afghanistan in 2014. "It would be an impossible task to occupy such a people and a country." Mr White said: "All I know is, thinking back to how many people of that rank have been killed in the Western military, I can't really think of a British member of the military as high ranking as that. HOME and Security Editor Mark White says the loss of two Russian military Generals is a big blow to Putin.

In another apparent nod aimed at placating Moscow, Zelensky said he is open to 'compromise' on the status of two breakaway pro-Russian territories that ...

"This is another ultimatum and we are not prepared for ultimatums. But we can discuss and find the compromise on how these territories will live on." In another apparent nod aimed at placating Moscow, Zelensky said he is open to 'compromise' on the status of two breakaway pro-Russian territories that President Vladimir Putin recognized as independent just before unleashing the invasion on 24 February.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is likely to “double down” in Ukraine as his forces remain frustrated nearly two weeks into their invasion, but he will ...

But “the challenge that he faces” — as well as “the biggest question that’s hung over” U.S. officials’ analysis of Putin’s planning, Burns added — is that “he has no sustainable political endgame in the face of what is going to continue to be fierce resistance from Ukrainians.” He’s likely to double down and try to grind down the Ukrainian military with no regard for civilian casualties,” Burns said. In that hierarchy, Burns said, “it’s proven not career-enhancing for people to question or challenge his judgment.” That personal conviction matters more than ever,” Burns said. According to Burns, Putin launched his invasion on the basis of “a number of assumptions”: He considered Ukraine to be “weak and easily intimidated.” He assessed Europeans to be “risk averse” and “distracted by elections in France and leadership succession in Germany.” He believed he had “sanctions-proofed his economy” by “creating a large war chest of foreign currency reserves.” And he was confident he had “modernized his military” to achieve “a quick, decisive victory at minimal cost.” Biden administration spokespeople have been largely reluctant to speculate about the Kremlin’s wartime strategy. Burns, the CIA director, portrayed for lawmakers an isolated and indignant Russian president who is “determined to dominate and control Ukraine to shape its orientation.” Putin has been “stewing in a combustible combination of grievance and ambition for many years. For example, Haines said that while Putin “probably anticipated” many of the financial sanctions imposed by Western nations in response to Russia’s aggression “when he weighed the cost of the invasion,” he “did not anticipate … the degree to which the United States and its allies and partners would take steps to undermine his capacity to mitigate Western actions.” The nuclear saber-rattling by Putin “was extremely unusual,” Haines said, and U.S. officials assess that his “current posturing in this arena is probably intended to deter the West from providing additional support to Ukraine as he weighs an escalation of the conflict.” Haines said Tuesday that Putin “probably still remains confident that Russia can militarily defeat Ukraine,” and that he “wants to prevent Western support from tipping the balance and forcing a conflict with NATO.” Putin’s order last month to place Russian nuclear deterrent forces on high alert “is very much in line with this assessment,” she said. Although it still remains “unclear” whether Russia will pursue a “maximalist plan to capture all or most of Ukraine,” Haines said, such an effort would run up against what the U.S. intelligence community assesses “is likely to be a persistent and significant insurgency” by Ukrainian forces, who have proven their mettle over a dozen days of combat with the Russian invaders. Russian President Vladimir Putin is likely to “double down” in Ukraine as his forces remain frustrated nearly two weeks into their invasion, but he will find it “especially challenging” to maintain control of captured territory and install a sustainable pro-Moscow regime in Kyiv, the leaders of the top U.S. intelligence agencies told congressional lawmakers on Tuesday.

With Russia's bloody aggression in Ukraine apparently bogged down, there are hints this week that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President ...

In a TV interview released Tuesday, Zelensky was asked by David Muir of ABC News how he reacted to proposals from the Kremlin on Monday. “What is your message to Vladimir Putin right now?” Muir asked. On Tuesday, both Haines and CIA director Williams Burns said Putin has too much at stake personally to be seen as backing down now. “He probably realizes he will have to have direct talks with Zelensky. He has been arrogant, and very often, you lose the war because of your arrogance.” Since then, the Kremlin has appeared stunned that its attacks on major regions—especially Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv—have been stymied by Ukrainian resistance; Russia has also been flummoxed by the ferocity and unity of the response by the United States and European Union. Both have imposed unprecedented sanctions, effectively cutting Russia off from the international financial system. In a TV interview released Tuesday, Zelensky was asked by David Muir of ABC News how he reacted to proposals from the Kremlin on Monday. “What is your message to Vladimir Putin right now?” Muir asked. “What’s important to me is how the people in those territories who want to be part of Ukraine are going to live.”