The fighting in eastern Ukraine between Russia-supported militants and Ukraine government forces will continue in 2018, according to the report by Director of U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency Vincent Stewart.
The conflict ”is likely to persist throughout the coming year as hopes dim for full implementation of the Minsk Agreements,” according to the report published on the U.S. Senate website.
Russia is unlikely to abandon its destabilizing actions, Stewart said, adding that ”the conflict remains the Kremlin`s most effective leverage over Kyiv.”
”Violence along the Line of Contact probably will remain limited to smaller engagements, although Russia retains a ready capability to escalate the conflict,” the U.S. defense intelligence chief said.
