U.S. INTEL: Putin Being Misled by Advisers
The U.S. announced an additional $500 million in aid will go to Ukraine to supplement their budget.
It comes as American intelligence officials give an indication that Russian President Vladimir Putin is not getting the full picture of the war from his advisers.
The U.S. believes Putin is being misinformed about his military’s poor performance in Ukraine because the advisers are scared to tell him the truth.
The recently declassified findings indicate that Putin is aware of the situation and there now is persistent tension between him and senior Russian military officials.
Putin is also reportedly being misled about how the Russian economy is being crippled by sanctions because of the same fears.
The administration is hopeful that divulging the finding could help prod Putin to reconsider his options in Ukraine.
But the publicity could also risk further isolating the Russian president, who U.S. officials have said seems at least in part driven by a desire to win back Russian prestige lost by the fall of the Soviet Union.