Will the war in Ukraine end this year? CIA Director William Burns visited Ukraine this month and heard about the country's plan to retake Russian-occupied territory and end the campaign by the end of the year, sources familiar with the details of the visit told The Washington Post.
Barnes' visit, which was kept low-profile, included meetings with President Zelensky and Ukraine's top intelligence officers. The purpose of the visit was to reiterate the Biden administration's commitment to provide Ukraine with intelligence that could help it in the war effort.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoygu tours the front lines of the fighting in Ukraine (archive)
Also, in private conversations during the visit, military advisers presented Barnes with their goal of retaking significant parts of the territory that the Russians had seized from the country by this fall.
According to the plan, the forces will reach the border with occupied Crimea and transfer ammunition and missile systems there. In addition, the forces will continue to advance into the east of the country as well. After acquiring the territory, they plan to open negotiations with Moscow for the first time since talks between the two countries collapsed last March, the sources familiar with the details of the meeting said.
Damage to Russian rocket artillery system
A senior Ukrainian source told The Washington Post: "Russia will only go to negotiations when it starts to feel threatened."
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