The U.S. is seeing signs that Russia is “struggling” in its invasion of Ukraine and has warned Moscow that there would be “catastrophic consequences” if it were to use a nuclear weapon in its war against Kyiv, the White House national security adviser said Sunday.
Jake Sullivan, in an interview with ABC “This Week” anchor George Stephanopoulos, cited as signs of weakness the protests against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s mobilization of 300,000 reservists and annexation referendums in Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine.
“What you see inside Russia right now, this call-up of troops, the sham referenda that they’re trying to run in the occupied territories, these are definitely not signs of strength or confidence. Quite the opposite: They’re signs that Russia and Putin are struggling badly,” Sullivan said while noting Putin’s hold on the country made it hard to make definitive assessments from the outside.
“It will be the Russian people, ultimately, who make the determination about how Russia proceeds and the extent to which that there is resistance and pushback to what Vladimir Putin has tried to do, calling up these hundreds of thousands of young men,” Sullivan added.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
