The Russian-Ukrainian war is far from over, and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is not even thinking about ending hostilities and the possibility of real peace talks. This was stated by the head of British foreign intelligence MI6 Sir Richard Moore in his farewell speech in Istanbul, ABC News reports, writes UNN.
Details
Moore spoke at the British Consulate in Istanbul. After five years as head of MI6, he is stepping down at the end of September. He stated that there is "absolutely no evidence" that Putin seeks peace.
He (Putin - ed.) seeks to impose his imperial will by all available means. But he is failing.
The British intelligence officer stressed that the Kremlin overestimated its strength from the very beginning.
Frankly, Putin bit off more than he can chew. He thought he would get an easy victory. But he - and many others - underestimated the Ukrainians.
He also stressed that Russia's invasion did not break Ukraine, but rather strengthened its national identity, accelerated its movement westward, and pushed countries like Sweden and Finland to join NATO.
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The speech also contained a harsh assessment of the Kremlin's policy:
"Putin tried to convince the world of the inevitability of Russia's victory. But he is lying. He is lying to the world. He is lying to his people. Perhaps he is even lying to himself."
Moore stated that the Russian president "is mortgaging his country's future for his own personal legacy and a distorted version of history," and that the war itself is only "accelerating this decline."
The head of MI6 added that history has repeatedly proven the failure of imperial ambitions.
Greater powers than Russia have failed to subdue weaker states than Ukraine.
Analysts say Putin believes he can win a protracted war of attrition, bleeding the smaller Ukrainian army.