During Sunday's two-hour long press conference, Volodymyr Zelenskyj had a markedly different appearance compared to last year, writes Sean Bell for Sky News.
Back then it was about defeating the Russians - now the focus was more on "not losing", according to Bell. The president has a difficult balancing act, he writes:
“He must push and inspire the Ukrainians, but also prepare them for potential future compromises. Not losing means that Ukraine continues to exist, but perhaps at the expense of territory.”
The Guardian's Shaun Walker also notes that Zelenskyi's balancing act is difficult, and that the third year of war may be his toughest yet.
The Ukrainians are exhausted by the war and the international support is divided, which has led to an acute shortage of ammunition on the front, he writes and continues:
"At the same time, most people do not want a peace agreement because there are few mechanisms to force Russia to comply, and the risk is that it would only give Moscow time to build up its forces and attack again."
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Zelensky: Russia knew about our plans ahead of time
Russia knew Ukraine's strategies for the counter-offensive in advance. President Zelensky said this during a two-hour long press conference on Sunday, according to AFP.
- Our action plan was on the Kremlin's table before the counteroffensive even began.
He did not go into theories about how the plans might have been leaked, but added that Ukraine currently has a "clear plan" for a new counter-offensive, according to Reuters.
The most important thing for the continued Ukrainian war effort right now is the rotation of soldiers and well-prepared reserve forces, according to the president.
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CIA cooperation central to Ukraine's intelligence
In twelve secret bases along the Russian border, CIA-trained Ukrainians sit and monitor Russian military activities. The cooperation has gradually strengthened over ten years, to the extent that Ukraine is now one of Washington's most important intelligence partners against the Kremlin, writes the New York Times.
The CIA has trained a new generation of Ukrainian spies who are also active inside Russia, in Europe, as well as in Cuba and other places with a Russian presence.
When Joe Biden evacuated Americans ahead of the February 2022 invasion, the CIA remained in the country, helping the Ukrainians with crucial intelligence on Russian weapons systems and planned attacks.
- Without them it would not have been possible for us to fight the Russians, says Ivan Bakanov who was then head of the Ukrainian security service SBU.
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