You're reading: Voice of America: Putin aims to destabilize Ukraine, former US envoy says

A former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine says recent military moves by Russia show that President Vladimir Putin's "minimal goal is to destabilize the current government" in Ukraine.

John Herbst, who now directs the Eurasia Center at the Atlantic Council, a Washington think tank, said from Kyiv that Putin is seeking to ratchet up the pressure on Ukraine, "and in order to do that, he can't simply sit behind the cease-fire line. He needs to move forward to cause additional instability in the country."

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