Putin may drag West in Ukraine war to win back support: US intelligence report
Live MintThe intelligence community of the United States believes that Russia "probably does not want a direct military conflict with US and NATO forces, but there is potential for that to occur." The Annual Threat Assessment report released on Wednesday added that Russian President Vladimir Putin may drag US-led West to Ukraine war in an effort to win back public support. The threat assessment report added Putin's escalation may also delve from the larger opinion that the United States is using Ukraine as a proxy to weaken Russia. "Russian leaders thus far have avoided taking actions that would broaden the Ukraine conflict beyond Ukraine's borders, but the risk for escalation remains significant," said the report. According to the US report, Moscow is likely to intervene in crises if it deems that its interests are at risk, the potential risks of its actions are minimal, it identifies a chance to exploit a power vacuum, or if it perceives an existential threat in its vicinity that could jeopardize Putin's leadership and pose a threat to Russian national security.