In the US, two of the nation’s senior intelligence officials, National Intelligence Director Avril Haines and Defense Intelligence Agency Director Scott Berrier, have painted a sobering picture of the war in Ukraine.
The two officials spoke before the Senate armed services committee about global threats to the US on Tuesday, and they highlighted their concerns about Russia.
“We assess President Putin is preparing for a prolonged conflict in Ukraine,” said Haines. “He is probably counting on US and EU resolve to weaken as food shortages, inflation and energy prices get worse.”
Berrier explained that the two enemies, the Russians and the Ukrainians, had reached an impasse.
Said Berrier: “The Russians aren’t winning, and the Ukrainians aren’t winning, and we’re at a bit of a stalemate.”
Their presentations were significant because of the situation they described in Ukraine and also because parts of the hearing were open to the public. Intelligence officials have argued in the past that these hearings should be held behind closed doors.
But their presentation provides one of the only chances for the public to hear directly from them about security issues.
Their assessment of the war is particularly important as people in the US evaluate the ongoing conflict, the role of the US and the impact of the war on gas prices and other aspects of everyday life.