Putin thinks he can outsmart the US during Ukraine peace talks, a European intelligence chief says

[Emrys]

16. Not only does Putin have no desire to stop hostilities, he's petrified about what would come after.

Last edited Wed Feb 11, 2026, 10:27 AM - Edit history (1)

Russia's realistic potential gains from the war, if any, look scant, and post mortems would focus on the costs, financial, humanitarian and geopolitical.

Already there are serious problems with Russian fighters returning from Ukraine, even more deviant and murderous, not to mention maimed, than they may have been before, and coping with reassimilating them into a society where the cracks are already all too evident looks like being an impossible task.

Any territory Putin may lay claim to after hostilities would be devastated, poisoned, bomb-ridden and insecure. Given Russia's other needs and depleting resources, who thinks rehabilitation of them, beyond a few Potemkin showpieces, is going to be anywhere near a priority?

Then there's also the possibility of the Russian Federation fragmenting further if border states, especially in the south, take advantage of a period of perceived weakness and international pariahdom to break away, and Putin would not be well placed to counter such moves across multiple fronts along with his other stated ambitions.