President Vladimir Putin is determined to grind Ukraine into submission, betting he can outlast Kyiv's Western backers and claim victory on the battlefield even as Russian troops make only halting progress.
Bolstered by a new six-year term in power and attempting to blame Kyiv for Russia's worst terror attack in two decades, Putin is committed to pursue his war goals after a tentative diplomatic outreach to the U.S. late last year came to nothing, said four people familiar with the Kremlin's military strategy.
U.S. officials have said they saw no indication the Russian president was serious late last year about looking for a way to end the fighting, and have rejected the idea of cease-fire talks without Ukraine.
“Putin's likely to escalate now,” said Alexei Mukhin, head of the Moscow-based Center for Political Information, which provides consultancy services for the presidential administration. “His goal is victory.”
With Russia far short of the manpower needed for a decisive breakthrough, and Ukraine struggling to supply its forces with munitions, there's no sign either side can compel an end to the fighting any time soon. Since winning last month's election, Putin has stepped up missile barrages at Ukrainian cities, saying he's not interested in giving Ukraine and its allies time to re-arm if he agrees to a pause in the fighting.
Putin has accused Ukraine without evidence of playing a role in the March 22 concert hall attack in…
