Russia warns of 'direct military confrontation' with US

Ukrainian forces are pushing back Russian troops so successfully that the invaders have been forced to regroup, refit and refocus, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Sunday.

“Russia has changed its behavior in this war,” Sullivan said on CBS News' Face The Nation. “They have retreated. They have pulled back from substantial territory in northern and northeastern Ukraine. Chiefly the reason they made those adjustments is because they were beaten by the Ukrainians.”

Sullivan credited the Ukraine military — and the flow of equipment the U.S. and its allies have been sending the besieged country. Last week, he said Slovakia was able to send an S-300 air defense system because the U.S. was willing to provide a Patriot battery to replace the system Slovakia was giving away.

Russian Ambassador to the U.S. Anatoly Antonov earlier told Newsweek the West is provoking Russia. 

"We warn that such actions are dangerous," the envoy said. "They can lead the U.S. and the Russian Federation onto the path of direct military confrontation."