Russia is keen to disrupt, weaken or even divide NATO and one way of encouraging that might be to convince the U.S. that war is coming with the alliance in Europe and to ask America if it wants to be dragged into it. This especially matters as Trump's incoming administration forms its policies toward NATO and Russia.

Moscow will prioritize seizing full control of its remaining annexed Ukrainian territories next year, including the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions.

Russia has to prepare for war with NATO as well as complete its war against Ukraine, Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov told the Defense Ministry on Monday in a joint meeting with President Vladimir Putin.

President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that the large number of men signing up for the Russian military voluntarily was turning the tide of the Ukraine war in Moscow's favour and said he hoped his army would keep advancing.

Kyiv allegedly wants "a respite on the battlefield," to "lick its wounds" and rearm. "NATO and the prospect of Ukraine's membership were part of the problem from the very beginning, not part of the solution,