Reuters: U.S.Intelligence Says Putin’s War Aims in Ukraine Remain Unchanged

The Kabul Tribune (KT) — Reuters reports that U.S. intelligence assessments continue to conclude that Russian President Vladimir Putin has not abandoned his long-standing objective of subjugating Ukraine, even as diplomatic efforts seek to bring the war to an end.

According to six sources familiar with U.S. intelligence cited by Reuters, the assessments warn that Putin still aims to capture all of Ukraine and reclaim territories that were once part of the former Soviet sphere. One source said the most recent intelligence report dates back to late September.

The findings present a stark contrast to public statements by U.S. President Donald Trump and his negotiators, who have said Putin wants to end the conflict. The intelligence assessments also contradict Putin’s repeated denials that Russia poses a threat to Europe.

U.S. intelligence conclusions have remained consistent since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022 and broadly align with the views of European leaders and intelligence agencies, the sources said.

“The intelligence has always been that Putin wants more,” Rep. Mike Quigley, a Democratic member of the House Intelligence Committee, told Reuters. “The Europeans are convinced of it. The Poles are absolutely convinced of it. The Baltics think they’re first.”

Reuters notes that Russia currently controls about 20% of Ukraine’s territory, including most of Luhansk and Donetsk in the Donbas region, parts of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, and Crimea. Putin claims Crimea and all four provinces as Russian territory.

Two sources told Reuters that Trump has been pressing Kyiv to withdraw its forces from the small portion of Donetsk it still controls as part of a proposed peace deal—an idea Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and most Ukrainians have rejected.

A White House official said Trump’s team has made “tremendous progress” toward ending the war and that a peace deal is “closer than ever,” without directly addressing the intelligence findings.

In a post on X, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said intelligence briefings indicated Russia seeks to avoid a broader war with Europe and currently lacks the capacity to overrun all of Ukraine.

Reuters reported that negotiations led by Trump’s envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff are ongoing, though major differences remain over territorial concessions and security guarantees for Ukraine.