European intelligence officials doubt that peace will be achieved in Ukraine this year.
European intelligence chiefs are pessimistic about the chances of reaching an agreement this year to end the war between Russia and Ukraine , despite US President Donald Trump's assertion that US-mediated talks make a deal "very close". The heads of five European intelligence agencies, who spoke to Reuters in recent days on condition of anonymity, said that Russia does not want a quick end to the war. Four of them said that Moscow is using talks with the United States as leverage to pressure the US into easing sanctions and securing trade deals. One of the heads of the agencies described the latest talks in Geneva as a "stage for negotiation". These statements point to a significant gap in thinking between European capitals and the White House, which Ukraine says wants a peace agreement by June, before the US midterm elections in November. For his part, Trump expresses his belief that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants an agreement. A European intelligence chief asserted that "Russia is not seeking a peace agreement but rather the achievement of its strategic goals, and these goals have not changed." Among these goals are the overthrow of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the transformation of Ukraine into a "neutral" buffer zone against the West. For his part, the head of another agency explained that the main problem is that Russia does not want or need a quick peace, and that its economy is "not on the verge of collapse". While the intelligence chiefs did not specify how they obtained their information, their agencies use human sources and various other methods, including intercepting communications. They all stated that they consider Russia a priority target for intelligence gathering. Head of European intelligence agency: Russia does not need a quick peace... and its economy is not on the verge of collapse
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