American intelligence agencies have concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin remains determined to continue the war against Ukraine and achieve victory on the battlefield, according to NBC News citing a senior US official and a senior congressional official.
The assessment, presented to members of Congress this month, indicates agencies see no sign Russia is prepared to compromise as President Donald Trump attempts to broker peace negotiations. Putin is now believed to be more entrenched than at any previous point since ordering the full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Despite facing significant troop casualties and economic difficulties after Ukrainian deep drone strikes and international sanctions, the intelligence assessment found that Putin is committed to securing Ukrainian territory to justify the war's human and financial costs.
Trump blames "hatred" between leaders for stalled talks
Earlier, US President Donald Trump said that Russia's war on Ukraine remains deadlocked due to "a lot of hatred" between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin, and stated he would not meet with Putin again unless a concrete peace agreement was likely.
"Every time I speak with Vladimir, I have good conversations, and then they don't go anywhere," Trump said.
He added that he canceled a planned meeting with Putin in Budapest because Russia refused to revise its maximalist demands, stating "I'm not going to be wasting my time."
Trump campaigned on a promise to secure peace within 24 hours of returning to office, but his efforts to persuade Russia to agree to a ceasefire have not succeeded.
Trump sanctions Russian oil giants
Demonstrating increasing frustration, Trump imposed sanctions on two major Russian oil companies—Rosneft and Lukoil.
The sanctions, which freeze the companies' US-based assets and bar American firms from doing business with them, mark the first major punitive measures against Russia since Trump returned to office in January.
"I just felt it was time," Trump told reporters, describing the new sanctions as "tremendous" and adding that he had "waited a long time" to implement them but hopes "they won't be on for long."
Trump also publicly stated this month that he might provide long-range US-made Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, though he subsequently withdrew from the idea following a phone conversation with Putin.
Ukraine and allies urge more pressure on Moscow
Ukrainian officials, European governments, and supporters of Ukraine in Congress have repeatedly called on Trump to exert pressure on Russia through arms shipments and sanctions to push Moscow toward a ceasefire and peace negotiations.
In August, the White House characterized a summit in Alaska between Putin and Trump as a promising step toward possible peace negotiations. However, the war has continued, and Russia has maintained hard-line demands that would effectively disarm Ukraine, prohibit it from joining NATO, and block deployment of any Western-led peacekeeping forces.
