US Intelligence: Putin Seeks to Annex Ukraine, Goal to Recover Former Soviet Territories Remains Unchanged

晓得了 · 发表于 2025-12-20 13:38:54

Putin has denied posing a threat to Europe, a claim that stands in stark contradiction to the findings of US intelligence reports. (Reuters)

Six sources familiar with US intelligence agencies revealed that American intelligence reports have continued to warn that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war aims in Ukraine remain unchanged: he still intends to occupy the entire country and reclaim parts of European territory that were part of the former Soviet empire.

Reuters cited these sources on Friday (December 19) as stating that the US intelligence assessments contradict claims made by US President Donald Trump and his negotiators, who assert that Putin wants to end the war. Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Middle East envoy Avi Berkowitz are pushing for a peace deal that would involve Ukraine ceding territory in exchange for security guarantees.

One of the sources noted that the latest intelligence report was released in late September.

Putin’s denial of threatening Europe is entirely inconsistent with the US intelligence findings.

Since Putin launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the conclusions of US intelligence agencies have remained consistent. Sources indicated that these US findings align broadly with the views of European leaders and intelligence services, which hold that Putin covets the entire territory of Ukraine as well as lands of the former Soviet bloc—including NATO member states.

In an interview with Reuters, US Representative Mike Quigley, a Democratic member of the House Intelligence Committee, stated, “Intelligence has consistently shown that Putin wants more. Europe is convinced of this. The Poles are even more certain of it. The Baltic states believe they are Russia’s next target.”

Currently, Russia controls approximately 20% of Ukraine’s territory, including most of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, parts of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, as well as the strategically vital Crimean Peninsula. Luhansk and Donetsk form the industrial heartland of the Donbas region.

Putin claims sovereignty over Crimea and these four regions, asserting they are part of Russia.

On December 19, Putin held his annual live televised press conference, maintaining an uncompromisingly tough stance on Russia-Ukraine negotiations. He stated that Russian forces are advancing across the entire front line, and that Ukraine must accept his terms—including abandoning its bid to join NATO and ceding territory—for a peaceful resolution to the conflict to be possible.

A White House official said, “The President’s team has made significant progress toward ending the war in Ukraine,” without mentioning the intelligence reports. Trump also claimed that a Russia-Ukraine peace deal is “closer than ever before.”

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and the Russian Embassy did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

[欧洲] US Intelligence: Putin Seeks to Annex Ukraine, Goal to Recover Former Soviet Territories Remains Unchanged

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