Western intelligence officials are increasingly convinced that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to control more of Ukraine, the New York Times reports. According to the newspaper, US intelligence officials have warned allies that there is little time left to prevent Russia from taking military action in Ukraine.

According to US and European officials cited by The New York Times, US intelligence officials have warned allies that there is little time left to prevent Russia from taking military action in Ukraine. They are also pressing European countries to work more closely with the United States to develop a package of economic and military measures to keep Moscow away.

“Russia has not yet decided what it intends to do with the forces it has amassed near Ukraine, but their focus is being taken seriously. The United States is not assuming that Putin is cheating,” the New York Times wrote.

The newspaper notes that US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines traveled to Brussels this week to inform NATO ambassadors of the situation and possible Russian military intervention in Ukraine. Meanwhile, the New York Times added, Friday, that General Mark A. Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke with the Commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, General Valery Zalogny, about “Russia’s activities in this region.”

The Russian army, participating in the exercises in Crimea, returns to the bases Russian Ministry of Defense

The New York Times: Putin Considers Military Action

According to the New York Times, American and British interviewers are increasingly convinced that Putin is considering military action to seize most of Ukraine or destabilize the country enough to provide a pro-Moscow government.

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The daily notes that US and allied officials alerted in April about the build-up of Russian forces near the Ukrainian border, but the current focus, which appears to include more troops and high-tech weaponry, has raised further concerns.

We read: “Some former officials say that Putin may be interested in securing a land route between eastern Ukraine and Crimea. US analysts believe that the Russian leader sees the coming months as a unique moment for action.”

The US Daily notes that rising energy prices have made Europe more dependent on cheap Russian gas.

According to a Brussels official cited by the New York Times, when energy prices rise, Putin feels he has more freedom to act.

US officials have warned Russia that it is unacceptable to use its forces to terrorize Ukraine or seize territory, and this will lead to a strong response from the West.

Pentagon chief talks about Putin’s plans

General Lloyd Austin, the US defense secretary, commented on reports of a concentration of Russian forces near the Ukrainian border, admitting on Wednesday that Americans “are not sure what the Russian president is planning.” We are monitoring this closely and I am in regular contact with General (Todd) Walters, who heads the European Command. The truth is that we don’t know what Putin is up to, but these moves have caught our full attention, Austin said during Wednesday’s press conference.

Austin called on Russia to be more transparent and to comply with the provisions of the Minsk Accords. He also stressed that America maintains its commitments to the sovereignty of Ukraine.

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Last week, the US Secretary of State Anthony Blink He stated that although he did not know what the Kremlin’s intentions were, it warned him against trying to repeat the invasion of Ukraine.

Ukraine used the Bayraktar unmanned aerial vehicle in the Donbass for combat purposes

Ukraine used the Bayraktar unmanned aerial vehicle in the Donbass for combat purposesReuters

Kiev talks about “Moscow’s increasing aggressiveness”

Ukrainian diplomat Dmytro Kuleba On Thursday, she was informed of a “significant increase in Russian diplomatic and military aggressiveness” in the past weeks. He said Ukraine was working with Western partners to develop a “comprehensive package to contain Russia” that would include political and diplomatic pressure and “painful economic strikes” in the event of the expansion of aggression and the strengthening of the Ukrainian armed forces.

On November 10, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, reported in a private video that about 100,000 Russian soldiers had gathered near the Ukrainian border and that Western countries had informed Kiev of the active movements of Russian troops near the border with Ukraine.

New York Times, PAP, tvn24.pl

Main image source: mil.ru