Richard Moore, who left the position of head of MI6 in September this year, expressed his belief that reaching the agreement sought by US President Donald Trump will require further persuasion towards Putin.
“Under current circumstances – and I'm based on intelligence I had access to a few weeks ago – he's not ready to reach an agreement. “I think there needs to be more pressure on him to be there,” Moore said.
As he noted, intelligence data indicate that for Putin “this is not a purely territorial issue”, but rather about “domination and transformation of Ukraine into something resembling its neighbor, Belarus.”
Richard Moore: Putin is trying to play us
Moore said he has noticed an “evolution in thinking” about Putin in President Trump's administration. — Obviously, Putin is trying to play us. He is an intelligence officer. I know this guy. He is trying to maneuver us into a place that is convenient for him, and we have to pin him down and prevent these maneuvers, he noted.
The article continues below the video
What did Richard Moore say about Putin?
What does Moore think about aid to Ukraine?
Why is Putin not ready to reach an agreement?
What consequences may arise for China due to the situation in Ukraine?
Xi Jinping closely follows what the West is doing regarding Ukraine
In his opinion, if the West does not help Ukraine win, it may have consequences in the policy sphere of China, whose leader Xi Jinping “very closely” follows the reactions of Kiev's allies.
“There is a real danger that if (Xi) sees our weakness in the Ukraine issue, he will draw conclusions about his own behavior around the South China Sea and potentially Taiwan,” Moore said.
“Ukraine's allies could go further”
According to him, the West could provide Ukraine with more support to force Putin to negotiate.
— (There is a need for) more pressure on the battlefield. Ukrainians have an undercapitalized defense industry. They have the potential to free up money, he noted.
He also expressed the view that allies could also go further, for example by allowing Ukraine to use long-range weapons. – And you can put much more pressure on Putin in his country – he added.
— I'm not saying this will give immediate results. We have to be patient, he said.
