US view of Putin: Angry, frustrated, likely to escalate war
By NOMAAN MERCHANT
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin appears to U.S. intelligence as angry and frustrated more than two weeks into a war he thought he would dominate in two days. But Putin may also be preparing to cause even more violence and destruction in Ukraine. U.S. officials who shared their views in recent days are worried Putin will try to break Ukraine’s resistance with escalation, potentially with chemical or biological weapons that can kill far more people. And while the rest of the world reacts to horrific images of the war Putin started, he is insulated from domestic pressure by what CIA Director William Burns calls a “propaganda bubble.”