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Russia Ukraine Crisis Live Updates: Russia Signals Less Ambitious Goals In Ukraine War

Admin | 2022-03-26

Russia Ukraine Crisis LIVE Updates: The possible shift came as President Joe Biden visited elite US troops serving with NATO just across the border in Poland and France's Emmanuel Macron proposed an internationally backed evacuation of civilians trapped in the bombarded city of Mariupol.
Russia signaled Friday it may dial back its war aims to focus on eastern Ukraine after failing to break the nation's resistance in a month of fighting and attacks on civilians, including up to 300 feared killed in the bombing of a theatre.
The possible shift came as President Joe Biden visited elite US troops serving with NATO just across the border in Poland and France's Emmanuel Macron proposed an internationally backed evacuation of civilians trapped in the bombarded city of Mariupol.

Russian President Vladimir Putin had ordered the February invasion to destroy Ukraine's military and topple pro-Western President Volodymyr Zelensky, bringing the country under Russia's sway.

However, Sergei Rudskoi, a senior general, suggested a considerably reduced "main goal" of controlling Donbass, an eastern region already partly held by Russian proxies.
As Ukraine forces counter near Kyiv, Russia scales back goals
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy pushed for further talks with Russia as Moscow signalled it was scaling back its ambitions to focus on territory claimed by Russian-backed separatists in the east after attacks elsewhere stalled.
In an announcement on Friday appearing to indicate more limited goals, the Russian Defence Ministry said a first phase of its operation was mostly complete and it would now focus on the Donbas region bordering Russia, which has pro-Moscow separatist enclaves.
"The combat potential of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has been considerably reduced, which . makes it possible to focus our core efforts on achieving the main goal, the liberation of Donbas," said Sergei Rudskoi, head of the Russian General Staff's Main Operational Directorate.