For ordinary Ukrainians living under air-raid sirens and rolling blackouts, talk of peace often sounds distant. Now, fresh US intelligence assessments suggest that optimism from Washington&rsquo;s political leadership may be out of sync with what intelligence officers see on the ground. While President Donald Trump has claimed that Vladimir Putin &ldquo;wants to end&rdquo; the war, US intelligence continues to warn that Moscow&rsquo;s goals remain far more expansive.
According to these assessments, Russia&rsquo;s president has not abandoned his ambition of bringing all of Ukraine under Kremlin control, and possibly extending influence into parts of the former Soviet sphere. This sharply contradicts both Trump&rsquo;s public remarks and Putin&rsquo;s own insistence that Russia poses no threat to Europe. For civilians in Kyiv, Kharkiv and occupied regions, these warnings reinforce a grim reality: the war is not just about territory already seized, but about future security and survival.
The intelligence picture has remained consistent since Russia&rsquo;s full-scale invasion began in 2022, aligning closely with European intelligence agencies and leaders who fear that conceding Ukrainian land would only embolden Moscow. Russia already controls roughly one-fifth of Ukraine, including key industrial regions and Crimea. Yet intelligence officials caution that a settlement freezing current battle lines may only buy time, not peace.
Even as US officials insist that diplomatic efforts have brought negotiations closer than ever, intelligence leaders have briefed lawmakers that Russia is seeking to avoid a wider European war mainly because it currently lacks the military capacity,&nbsp; not because its strategic ambitions have changed. For people living closest to the frontlines, this gap between political messaging and intelligence warnings fuels anxiety that any rushed deal could leave them facing the same threat again, sooner rather than later.
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US intelligence warns Putin’s ambitions stretch far beyond peace talks on Ukraine

Intel vs Trump on Putin’s War Plans

US intelligence warns Putin’s ambitions stretch far beyond peace talks on Ukraine

December 21, 2025 | 12:16 IST