A NATO official has said that Russia is covering up the slow progress of the plan to invade Ukraine by "stopping to give time to negotiations".
"They have problems," the official explained, citing the alliance's latest intelligence. "They're running out of fuel, they're heading for a slowdown and morale is definitely an issue."
On Saturday, Russia's defense ministry said its troops had been ordered to resume their offensive "in all directions" after a suspension was ordered for negotiations with the Ukrainian government. The ministry said the offensive was ordered to continue after Ukraine abandoned talks on negotiations.
A Ukrainian presidential adviser denied in the early hours of Saturday that Ukraine had refused to negotiate.
Asked if the Russians were likely to step up their efforts, the official said: "They should, they're way behind schedule. This is getting out of control for them, every extra day is very painful."
