Sec. of State Blinken says Putin wants to advance beyond Ukraine as White House is hit hard over 'failed' diplomatic strategy: 'Putin was playing Biden all along'

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday that Russia's military invasion of Ukraine is likely only part of Russian President Vladimir Putin's designs for the European continent.

Blinken made the remarks in an interview with CBS News managing editor Norah O'Donnell. When asked by O'Donnell if the U.S. had any specific intelligence indicating Putin will advance beyond Ukraine, the nation's top diplomat shrugged off the question, suggesting it's obvious.

"You don't need intelligence to tell you that that's exactly what President Putin wants," Blinken said. "He's made clear that he'd like to reconstitute the Soviet empire. Short of that, he'd like to reassert a sphere of influence around neighboring countries that were once part of the Soviet bloc. And short of that, he'd like to make sure that all of these countries are somehow neutral."