Top European intelligence officials believe Russia is using talks with the US to weaken sanctions and secure business deals, not to pursue peace - Reuters
Kyiv • UNN
Heads of five European intelligence agencies do not believe in a quick end to the war, despite Trump's statements. They believe that Russia is using negotiations to weaken sanctions and is not seeking peace.
European intelligence chiefs are "pessimistic about the chances of reaching a deal this year to end Russia's war in Ukraine," despite US President Donald Trump's claims that US-brokered talks have brought the prospect of a deal "quite close," Reuters reports, writes UNN.
Details
The heads of five European intelligence agencies, who recently spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said that "Russia does not want to end the war quickly." Four of them stated that "Moscow is using negotiations with the United States to promote the easing of sanctions and the conclusion of business deals."
The talks, the latest round of which took place this week in Geneva, are a "negotiating theater," said one European intelligence chief.
These remarks, the publication writes, point to a striking chasm in thinking between European capitals and the White House, which, according to Ukraine, wants to conclude a peace agreement by June before the US midterm congressional elections in November. Trump says he believes Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin wants to make a deal.
"Russia is not seeking a peace agreement. They are pursuing their strategic goals, and they have not changed," said one European intelligence chief. "These include the removal of Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the transformation of Ukraine into a 'neutral' buffer against the West," the publication writes.
The main issue, according to a second intelligence chief, is that Russia does not want or need a quick peace, and its economy "is not on the verge of collapse."
While intelligence chiefs did not disclose how they obtained their information, their services use human sources, intercepted communications, and various other means. All of them stated that they consider Russia a priority target for intelligence gathering.
"Ukrainian and Russian negotiators met this week for a third US-brokered meeting in 2026 with no breakthrough on key sticking points, including territory," the publication notes.
A second intelligence chief stated that "Russia may be satisfied territorially if it gets the remaining part of Donetsk, but this will not fulfill its goal of overthrowing Zelenskyy's pro-Western government."
A third intelligence chief stated that "there is a misconception that Ukraine's abandonment of Donetsk will quickly lead to a peace agreement."
"In the event that the Russians get these concessions, I (think) that this is perhaps the beginning of real negotiations," the official said, predicting that Russia would then make further demands.
The intelligence chief, without providing evidence, also expressed concern about the "very limited" level of skill in negotiating with Russia in the West, particularly on the European side, which, according to Zelenskyy, should play an active role in the negotiations.
The American side is led by Steve Witkoff, a developer and long-time friend of Trump, and Jared Kushner, the US President's son-in-law. Both have worked on other conflicts on behalf of Trump, but neither is a qualified diplomat and neither has any specific experience with Russia or Ukraine.
In response to a request for comment, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said that anonymous criticism did not help US efforts to resolve the war. "President Trump and his team have done more than anyone to bring both sides together, stop the killing, and reach a peace agreement," the spokeswoman said.
Two officials said that Moscow is trying to divide the negotiations into two different tracks – one focused on the war, and the other on bilateral agreements with the United States that would include the easing of sanctions for Russia
Zelenskyy said that his intelligence services informed him that American and Russian negotiators discussed bilateral cooperation agreements worth up to $12 trillion, which were proposed by Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev, the publication writes.
European officials did not provide details on these discussions.
A second intelligence chief said the proposal was designed to appeal to both Trump and Russian oligarchs who have not profited from the war due to sanctions but whose loyalty Putin needs to maintain as Russia's economy faces increasing difficulties.
The official said that ultimately Russia is a "resilient society" that can withstand hardship.
However, a third official said that Russia faced "very high" financial risks in the second half of 2026, citing, among other factors, Moscow's limited access to capital markets due to sanctions and the high cost of borrowing.
Some analysts say that the Russian economy is somewhere between stagnation and recession after growing by only 1% last year.