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NBC News: Putin “thinks he’s winning” and seeks total control over Ukraine, say Western intelligence sources

Multiple Western intelligence officials report Putin has no genuine interest in peace talks and believes Russia can ultimately control all Ukrainian territory, viewing any ceasefire as merely an opportunity to reconstitute forces.
byOlena Mukhina
18/02/2025
2 minute read
Russia warheads nuclear missiles weapon
Russian missiles that hold nuclear warheads on parade during military Victory Day rehearsal on Red Square, Moscow, Russia, 06 May 2012. (EPA/SERGEI ILNITSKY)
NBC News: Putin “thinks he’s winning” and seeks total control over Ukraine, say Western intelligence sources

Russian ruler Vladimir Putin is not interested in negotiating a peace deal over the war in Ukraine and seeks to capture the entire country, NBC News reports, citing four Western intelligence officials and two US congressional sources.

On 18 February, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held nearly five hours of talks in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital. The meeting took place amid US President Donald Trump’s push to end the war in Ukraine quickly without providing security guarantees for Kyiv and amid signals of the potential reduction of US support and Europe’s exclusion from the peace talks. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine was not informed about the US-Russia talks and would not recognize any agreements made without Ukraine’s participation.

“We have zero intelligence that Putin is interested in a real peace deal right now,” a congressional source told the outlet.

According to NBC News sources, the Kremlin leader believes he can bring all of Ukraine under his control.

“He thinks he’s winning,” one source said, noting that Russian military losses are not a factor pushing Putin toward ending the war.

Western intelligence officials believe that while Putin may agree to a ceasefire and a peace deal, it would primarily serve as a strategy to buy time for Russia’s military recovery.

“They said there is skepticism among US and Western officials that Putin ultimately will compromise and agree to a real, lasting peace deal. There is a belief, though, that he could go through the motions of negotiations to see what concessions he might get and to attempt to reintegrate himself back onto the world stage, where he has been largely shunned since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine three years ago,” said the report.

Additionally, Western intelligence sources emphasized that Putin has no intention of withdrawing Russian troops from Ukraine. Meanwhile, the officials suggest that the Kremlin leader “feels empowered” by statements from officials in US President Donald Trump’s administration, including indications that Washington does not support Ukraine’s NATO membership.

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