Putin still seeks control over Ukraine despite US peace efforts, WP reports
Russian President Vladimir Putin has not abandoned his maximalist goal of controlling Ukraine, despite U.S. efforts to broker a ceasefire, the Washington Post (WP) reported on March 13, citing sources familiar with classified U.S. intelligence reports.
Putin has a "long-standing desire to restore ‘Mother Russia'" and remains determined to assert power over Kyiv, one official said commenting on the U.S. intelligence assessment circulated among President Donald Trump's administration on March 6.
Some officials reportedly believe that even if Russia agrees to a temporary truce, Moscow will use the pause to rearm, violate the agreement, and create provocations to blame on Ukraine.
Ukraine had agreed to the truce during talks in Jeddah on March 11, provided Russia did as well. The deal led Washington to resume military and intelligence support for Kyiv.
Putin said on March 13 that Russia is prepared to accept the U.S.-proposed 30-day ceasefire, but only if Kyiv halts mobilization, military training, and arms imports.
Timothy Ash
Zelensky later dismissed Putin's conditions as "Russian manipulations" and called for tougher sanctions on Moscow.
Trump, who has previously warned of "devastating" financial consequences for Russia if the war continues, said on March 13 that Putin's statement was "very promising" but "wasn't complete."
Moscow views Trump as weak, lacking a basic set of principles, and potentially open to manipulation, a European intelligence official told WP, citing fresh intelligence.
If a permanent ceasefire is reached, Russia is likely to revert to the "hybrid" or non-military tactics it used to undermine Ukraine before its full-scale invasion in 2022, the official added.
U.S. officials are reportedly cautious in assessing what peace terms Putin might agree to, but see no indication that he has backed down from his demand to bring Kyiv into Russia's sphere of influence.
Western security officials told Bloomberg on March 10 that Putin has deliberately set "maximalist" demands on territorial concessions, peacekeepers, and Ukraine's neutrality, knowing they are likely unacceptable to Kyiv and European nations.
Kateryna Denisova
