US intelligence predicts Ukraine's counter-offensive will end in 6-7 weeks

Tass news agency quoted the Economist as saying that President Joe Biden's administration predicts that the counterattack by the Ukrainian Armed Forces will stop after about 6-7 weeks.

According to the Economist, there are some internal disagreements between the parties regarding the progress of the counter-offensive campaign.

The Economist quoted a senior US intelligence official as saying: “The Ukrainian forces, having spent most of their reserves trying to break through Russia’s second line of defense, have suffered heavy losses and are unlikely to advance much further. If you look at the state of the conflict in five years’ time, the situation is likely to remain the same.”

Along with that, The Economist also quoted the opinion of Mr. Trent Maul - Director of Analysis of the US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) expressing a less pessimistic view. According to Mr. Trent Maul's assessment, the Ukrainian army is said to have about 40-50% "realistic ability" to break through the remaining layers of Russia's defense line by the end of this year.

However, Mr. Maul also warned that limited ammunition, combined with worsening weather, would make an attack very difficult. The DIA director acknowledged that U.S. and Ukrainian officials had not appreciated the depth of Russia’s defenses, or how difficult it would be for Kiev to “smash” them with armor.