According to Western diplomats, Russian President Vladimir Putin is being mislead by advisers who are “afraid to tell him the truth” about the conflict.

According to officials from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Europe, Russia’s Putin is being’misinformed’ about his military’s poor performance in Ukraine.

Officials from the United States, Europe, and the United Kingdom performed the evaluations yesterday.

White House Communications Director Kate Bedingfield told reporters on Wednesday that the US believes “Putin is being misinformed about how badly the Russian military is performing and how the Russian economy is being crippled by sanctions because his senior advisers are too afraid to tell him the truth.”

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelensky, says robust opposition has put pressure on Russian soldiers in Kyiv, but the country is bracing for strikes in other areas.

Despite scheduled peace talks on Friday, Zelensky claims that Russia is bolstering its forces in eastern Ukraine in preparation for a fresh wave of strikes in the separatist Donbas area.

In an early morning video message today, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko stated that he is witnessing “a build-up of Russian forces for further strikes on the Donbas, and we are prepared for it.”

Follow our Russia-Ukraine coverage.