US intelligence: Putin paranoidly fears that the West will limit Russia’s power

This was said by Avril Haines, Director of US National Intelligence, during the May 2. hearings held in the US Congress, Voice of America publishes.

“Putin continues to believe that Russia is under threat and almost certainly believes that a larger and better-equipped military will convey that message to Western and domestic audiences… He continues to view NATO expansion and Western support for Ukraine as part of his long-standing belief that The US and Europe seek to limit Russia’s power and reinforcement,” the director of US national intelligence asserted.

According to A. Haines, this is already “a kind of paranoia”.

At the same time, she believes that NATO’s actions are actually aimed at appeasing Russia, but that Putin’s decisions hastened events that he tried to avoid, including the expansion of the alliance by the entry of decades-neutral Finland and Sweden into NATO.

A. Haines explained that the Kremlin leader increased defense spending to almost 7 percent. Russia’s GDP, which is almost double the historical average. Currently, the Russian defense budget accounts for about 25 percent. of all federal spending.

Russia will adopt more aggressive tactics

A. Haines also predicted that Russia will resort to more aggressive tactics in the war against Ukraine.

She noted that Russia has stepped up attacks on Ukraine’s infrastructure in an effort to limit Kyiv’s ability to transport weapons and troops, hamper defense production and force it to open negotiations.

“V. Putin’s increasingly aggressive tactics against Ukraine, such as strikes on Ukraine’s electrical infrastructure, are aimed at giving Ukraine the impression that further fighting will only increase the damage to Ukraine and will not offer any likely path to victory,” the official said.

But Haines noted that these aggressive tactics are likely to continue and that “the war is unlikely to end soon.”