(London/Kyiv) A former British intelligence chief said that the latest intelligence assessment indicates Russian President Vladimir Putin has no intention of reaching a peace agreement with Ukraine. This also confirms why the United States and its allies are taking a tougher stance against Russia.
Former MI6 chief John Moore, who stepped down in September, told Bloomberg, “Based on the intelligence I had access to a few weeks ago, he (Putin) is not ready to make an agreement. I think the solution is to put more pressure on him so that he will be willing to make an agreement.”
Moore’s assessment coincides with that of the United States, which reported last month that US intelligence believed Putin would continue his military operations in Ukraine.
Moore outlined what further support Western allies could provide to Ukraine to force Putin back to the negotiating table. He said, "We need to increase pressure on the battlefield. Ukraine's defense industry is underfunded; they have idle capacity, and the problem can be solved with investment… We can also give them more support, such as allowing them to use long-range weapons and providing them with basic air defense systems."
He added that these measures are not expected to be immediately effective, and the Western alliance must be prepared for a protracted war.
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He pointed out that Putin's aim is to manipulate Ukraine, turning it into another Belarus. Belarus is a Russian vassal state and previously used as a transit route for Russian troops to attack Ukraine.
Due to internal disagreements within the EU regarding whether to use frozen Russian assets to provide Ukraine with a €140 billion (S$211.8 billion) loan, the EU has postponed its decision on whether to use frozen Russian assets to aid Ukraine until December.
In a Bloomberg TV interview on Wednesday (November 12), Ukrainian President Zelensky urged the EU to expedite the loan disbursement. He said Ukraine needs more funds to purchase air defense systems and produce drones, which is "a matter of life and death for Ukraine."
Zelensky stated that Russia must pay the price for this war. He called on Trump to seize over $5 billion in Russian assets frozen in the US, as a "positive signal" to the EU to urge it to take similar action.
Russian forces launched a large-scale attack on Kyiv, killing and injuring more than 30 people. The Ukrainian capital Kyiv was hit by a large-scale missile and drone attack on Friday morning (14th). Local emergency services said the attack killed six people and injured more than 30.
Zelenskyy stated that the Russian military deployed approximately 430 drones and launched 19 missiles. Ukraine, utilizing Patriot air defense systems provided by its partners, intercepted 14 missiles and shot down 405 drones. He accused the Russian military of launching an "outrageous" attack, primarily targeting residential areas and energy facilities in Kyiv.
Russia has intensified its attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure in recent months, particularly targeting energy facilities, railway systems, and residential areas.
Kyiv Mayor Klitschko stated that some heating pipes were damaged, and some buildings in the northeastern Desnyansky district have temporarily lost heating; power and water supplies may also be disrupted.
