As Russia retreats from Kyiv, U.S. sees uglier fights to come

The turn of events has presented Ukraine with an opportunity, observers say, to seize the upper hand. But doing so may come at a steep price, as Moscow shows no signs it is willing to abandon President Vladimir Putin’s ultimate goal, which U.S. officials believe is to “weaken Ukraine as much as possible,” Sullivan said.

“All indications are that Russia will seek to surround and overwhelm Ukrainian forces in eastern Ukraine,” he added, noting that U.S. assessments indicate Russia is preparing to deploy “dozens of additional battalion tactical groups constituting tens of thousands of soldiers” to Ukraine’s east. “We should be under no illusions that Russia will adjust its tactics, which have included and will likely continue to include wanton and brazen attacks on civilian targets,” Sullivan said.

Moscow, he said, will probably continue to conduct air and missile strikes throughout the country — in cities such as Kyiv, Odessa, Kharkiv and Lviv — as it refocuses on objectives in the east. Putin’s intent, Sullivan asserted, “is to cause military and economic damage and, frankly, to cause terror.”