There is ‘absolutely no evidence’ Vladimir Putin wants a peace deal, the head of MI6 has said.
Sir Richard Moore said that the autocrat has lied to everybody, including himself about the inevitability of Russian victory.
Sir Richard, who is due to step down from his post at the end of this month, told the British consulate in Istanbul on Friday, that Putin had no intention of settling on a deal and would press to achieve his imperial aims ‘by all means at his disposal’.
But he added that the Russian dictator ‘cannot succeed’ as he has ‘bitten off more than he can chew.
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‘He thought he was going to win an easy victory. But he – and many others – underestimated the Ukrainians’, Sir Richard said.
‘Putin has sought to convince the world that Russian victory is inevitable, but he lies, he lies to the world, he lies to his people, perhaps he even lies to himself.’
Sir Richard continued that Putin was ‘accelerating his decline’ through his war, in which he is ‘mortgaging his country’s future for his own personal legacy and a distorted version of history’.
Several deadlines imposed by Donald Trump have come and gone without consequence.
The US president admitted during his state visit to the UK on Thursday that he had been ‘really let down’ by Putin.
Trump had promised to solve the Ukraine war within 24 hours of taking up the presidency.
The head of state insisted he still had a track record of halting conflicts.
He said during a press conference at Chequers: ‘I’m very honoured to tell you that we’ve solved seven wars, seven wars, wars that were unsolvable, wars that couldn’t be negotiated or done, the US has done seven of them,” he said.
‘The one that I thought would be easiest would be because of my relationship with President Putin, but he’s let me down.’
Moscow has continued to bombard Ukraine with drones, bombs and missiles.
Recent strikes have targeted oil refineries, terminals and depots as the Kremlin seeks to batter key Ukrainian infrastructure.
In response to the latest attacks, the Foreign Office announced it would designate more companies connected to Russia, including Businesses Aeza International, which provides internet services to Russian disinformation campaigns, and HeliCo Group, which operates in Russia’s transport industry.
The UK has also slapped sanctions on Georgian politician and media mogul Levan Vasadze, who has used his platforms to spread Russian misinformation.
Europe minister Stephen Doughty said: ‘We’re cutting off another lifeline by targeting and deterring those in Georgia who provide support for Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine.
‘The Kremlin must be in no doubt: the UK will continue to expose the shadowy networks propping up Putin.’
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