US intelligence doubts Putin willingness to end the war, The Washington Post

According to sources, classified reports from US intelligence, including those published earlier this month, cast doubt on Putin's willingness to end the war against Ukraine, assessing that the Russian President has not backed down from his goal of dominating Ukraine.

One of the secret assessments, circulated among representatives of the Trump administration and dated March 6, states that Putin remains determined to have control over Kyiv.

The intelligence reports are not intended to evaluate US President Donald Trump’s diplomacy. However, they raise questions about whether the White House correctly understands Putin’s readiness for peace.

Some current and former US officials have stated that even if Putin agrees to a temporary ceasefire, he would use it to rest and rearm his forces. In their view, he is likely to break the terms of the agreement by staging a provocation and blaming Ukraine.

Other officials said that the reports were more cautious about the conditions under which Putin might agree to peace. But they acknowledged that there were no signs that the dictator had backed down from his goal of seizing Ukraine.

"He has a long-standing desire to restore 'Mother Russia'," said one official.

It is unclear whether Trump has seen the intelligence report. According to another source, some of the US assessments regarding Putin's intransigence irritate Trump. The US President and his aides have recently raised the issue of the possibility of imposing new tough sanctions on Russia if it refuses to agree to end the war.

"The president desperately wants a deal. And the Russians are showing no signs of relenting. They’re ramping up their demands," the source added.

Ceasefire

On March 11, Ukrainian and American delegations held eight-hour negotiations in Saudi Arabia. Following the meeting, the US resumed military aid to Ukraine and access to intelligence data.

The US also proposed a 30-day ceasefire across the entire territory. Ukraine supported the proposal. However, earlier President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had suggested implementing a ceasefire in the air and at sea.

Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that he allegedly agreed to the US proposal but added that Ukraine would supposedly use this time to rearm.

After that, US President Donald Trump stated that he hoped for the right decision from Russia and reminded that he had "leverage" over Moscow.