Putin could give up on idea of seizing Kyiv - Pentagon chief

Russian leader Vladimir Putin has "probably given up" on trying to capture Kyiv, Ukraine's capital, shifting focus to eastern and southern parts of the country.

That's according to U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Ukrinform reports referring to Defense News.

“Putin thought he could really rapidly take over the country of Ukraine, very rapidly take over the capital city; he was wrong,” Austin said at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing Thursday.

“I think Putin has probably given up on his effort to capture the capital city and is now focused on the south and east of the country,” Austin said.

The defense chief added that the Pentagon’s focus is to continue to arm Ukrainian forces as the fight enters its next phase.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, Oleksandr Hruzevych, Deputy Chief of Staff of Ukraine's Land Forces Command, said that the likelihood that the Russian army would make another attempt to capture Kyiv remained high.

Earlier, Hruzevych warned that Russian troops would continue to use intimidation tactics against Kyiv by launching missile strikes, so Ukraine's air defenses remained prepared to repel the strikes. Currently, Russia is transferring its forces, aiming at other regions after Ukrainian defenders in Kyiv region forced the invaders to retreat from the area.

On February 24, Russian President Putin launched a new phase of the war with Ukraine. Russian troops have been shelling and destroying infrastructure and residential areas of Ukrainian cities and towns, using artillery, rockets, and ballistic missiles.