ISTANBUL (AP) — In a bold statement, the head of Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service, commonly known as MI6, declared that there is “absolutely no evidence” suggesting that President Vladimir Putin is making any serious effort toward peace negotiations in Ukraine. This announcement came during Moore’s farewell address.
Richard Moore pointed out that Putin is merely ‘stringing us along’. “He aims to enforce his imperial ambitions by any means necessary, but that won’t work,” Moore asserted. He added, “Putin has bitten off more than he can handle. He expected an easy victory but seriously misjudged the resolve of the Ukrainian people.”
The conflict has shown no signs of abating since Russia’s invasion three years ago, despite renewed initiatives from the U.S. to bring Moscow and Kyiv back around the table. While Ukraine has shown willingness to discuss a ceasefire and summit talks, Russia has seemingly rejected all proposals.
During a recent visit to the U.K., U.S. President Donald Trump expressed his disappointment, saying that Putin “has really let me down” regarding peace efforts.
Moore, set to step down at the end of September after five years at the helm of MI6, pointed out that he is making way for Britain’s first female chief of the agency.
This period of Moore’s leadership saw the start of Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which has led to countless casualties and ongoing fighting, particularly in eastern Ukraine.
“The invasion has only clarified and strengthened the Ukrainians’ national identity while pushing nations like Sweden and Finland toward NATO membership,” said Moore.
“Putin wants the world to think that victory for Russia is inevitable, but that’s a lie,” he stated during a news conference. “He deceives both his own people and the global community — he might even be lying to himself.”
Moore likened a phone call from Putin to the way Ivan Pavlov’s experiments conditioned dogs, remarking that it triggers a predictable response within the Kremlin where people only feed him back what he wants to hear.
Moore warned that Putin is trading away his nation’s future for his own personal legacy and a skewed view of history, asserting that the conflict only speeds up Russia’s decline.
Having served as the U.K.’s ambassador to Turkey earlier, Moore pointed out, “Greater powers before have failed to subdue nations weaker than Ukraine.”
Experts believe that Putin’s strategy involves outlasting the political resolve of Ukraine’s Western allies, hoping that a war of attrition could wear down Ukraine’s relatively smaller military.
Meanwhile, Ukraine is actively seeking to boost its defense partnerships across the globe and attract substantial investments in its domestic arms sector.
During his speech, Moore also announced MI6’s introduction of a new platform called “Silent Courier,” designed as a secure channel to recruit informants and spies, particularly from Russia.
He encouraged any Russian citizens with valuable information to get in touch with MI6, as well as inviting entries from anyone worldwide who might have insights on terrorism or hostile intelligence activities.
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For ongoing coverage of the Ukraine conflict, visit https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine.
