'Bitten off more than he can chew': UK spy chief says Putin not interested in peace; slams him for hollow claims

UK secret intelligence service chief Richard Moore on Friday said there is “absolutely no evidence” that Russian President Vladimir Putin is willing to negotiate peace in Ukraine, accusing him of deceiving the world with false promises of dialogue.

In a parting speech at the British consulate in Istanbul, Moore said Putin was “stringing us along” while seeking to impose his “imperial will by all means at his disposal.” “Bluntly, Putin has bitten off more than he can chew. He thought he was going to win an easy victory, but he – and many others – underestimated the Ukrainians,” Moore said.

Moore warned that the Russian leader is “mortgaging his country’s future for his own personal legacy and a distorted version of history,” adding that the war is accelerating Russia’s decline.

The head of Britain’s secret intelligence service, will retire in September this year after serving five years in the role. He will be preceded by UK's first woman intelligence officer, Blaise Metreweli.

Moore, a former UK ambassador to Turkey, said the 2022 invasion had backfired on Moscow by strengthening Ukrainian national identity, speeding Kyiv’s westward shift, and prompting Sweden and Finland to join NATO. “Putin has sought to convince the world that Russian victory is inevitable. But he lies. He lies to the world. He lies to his people. Perhaps he even lies to himself,” Moore told reporters.

The Ukraine conflict , now in its third year, continues to rage primarily in the country’s east, with tens of thousands killed since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022.