The invasion of Ukraine is an 'unmitigated disaster' for Putin, former US ambassador says

• A former US ambassador to Ukraine said the war is an 'unmitigated disaster' for Putin.
• John Herbst said Russia "suffered" in part due to "the very strong response of a united West."

A former US ambassador to Ukraine told Newsweek that the war in the country is an "unmitigated disaster" for Russian President Vladimir Putin, adding that "there's no doubt" that the leader hasn't met his goals.

"Putin had the goal of dominating Ukraine on the one side, and on the other, he wanted to keep open his plans to weaken the West, including establishing substantial Russian control over all the states of the former Soviet Union, which includes three NATO allies, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania," John Herbst, who served as ambassador from 2003 to 2006, told the outlet.

Herbst's response comes after National security advisor Jake Sullivan said that Russia "manifestly failed" to hit its three major goals amid the invasion, stating that "it has thus far achieved the opposite."

"Russia intended to accomplish three basic objectives in launching its unprovoked attacks against Ukraine — first, to subjugate Ukraine. Second, to enhance Russian power and prestige. And third, to divide and weaken the West," Sullivan said at a White House press conference earlier this week.

Since Russia launched a war against Ukraine in late February, thousands of Russian forces have died, according to a US intelligence estimate. In addition, Sullivan cited the Russian troops' underperformance and the hefty sanctions weakening the economy as roadblocks during the war.

"It was evident within three or four days of this new invasion, that [Putin's] second goals relating to the West, relating to the other former Soviet states, had suffered perhaps a fatal reversal, because of the very strong response of a united West, to the Russian invasion," Herbst told Newsweek.

A retired US general told Insider's Natalie Musumeci that Putin's military "has basically reached the capacity" of what they could do in Ukraine.

"Putin will have to halt his war in Ukraine sooner or later and probably in a matter of weeks," Retired US Army Brig. Gen. Kevin Ryan said.