Former MI6 Chief Sir Richard Dearlove urges Western leaders to ignore Russian propaganda about military advances in Ukraine, stating Putin’s negotiating position is weaker than it appears.

Speaking to Gillian Joseph on Sky News’ The World, Sir Richard noted that at Russia’s current pace, “it would take them 80 years to conquer Ukraine.”

“The worst deal would be an early ceasefire, which makes unnecessary concessions on the Russian side because Ukraine has been pushed to the table to negotiate,” Dearlove warned. 

According to him, Putin’s Ukrainian policy “has no reverse gear” while he continues demanding maximum terms.

The former intelligence chief explained, “Russia probably needs a ceasefire rather badly—more than Putin himself realises. The war has been a disaster.” Dearlove cited Russia’s significant economic problems with cash reserves running out, alongside military challenges: decreased soldier motivation, less ammunition, and equipment shortages.

Trump’s moves risk aiding Russia

Since taking office nearly 100 days ago, US President Donald Trump has made ending Russia’s war against Ukraine his top priority. While Zelenskyy agreed with Trump’s proposal for an immediate ceasefire, Putin continued negotiations with Washington about the details.

Experts suggest that Putin deliberately prolongs negotiations because his forces currently hold certain battlefield advantages. A ceasefire along the current line of contact would prevent him from fully capturing the four Ukrainian regions Russia claims to have annexed in 2022: Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson.

“Ironically, Putin may actually be playing into the West’s hands by saying, ‘Well, I’m going to accept a ceasefire,’ but doing nothing about it,” Sir Richard observed. “Look at the way that he has escalated the attacks during this period, particularly on civilian targets.”

While Russia recaptured the Kursk salient, Dearlove noted they did so “largely in the eight days when Trump suspended tactical intelligence support for the Ukrainians,” demonstrating “the importance of American support for the Ukrainian situation.”

“Russia is being allowed the upper hand by the Trump administration at the moment. But in practice, the irony is that Putin probably needs a ceasefire pretty badly,” Sir Richard concluded.