Russia Signals Scaled-Back War Aims

“Moscow signaled on Friday it was scaling back its ambitions in Ukraine to focus on territory claimed by Russian-backed separatists as Ukrainian forces went on the offensive to recapture towns on the outskirts of the capital Kyiv,” Reuters reports. 

However, the AP reports Vladimir Putin’s war “is approaching a new, potentially more dangerous phase after a month of fighting has left Russian forces stalled by an outnumbered foe.”

“He is left with stark choices — how and where to replenish his spent ground forces, whether to attack the flow of Western arms to Ukrainian defenders, and at what cost he might escalate or widen the war.”