US intelligence indicates Putin's war aims in Ukraine are unchanged


The interior of the damaged flat in an apartment building hit by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine December 16, 2025. REUTERS/Stringer

WASHINGTON/PARIS, Dec 19 (Reuters) - U.S. intelligence reports ‌continue to warn that Russian President Vladimir Putin has not abandoned his aims of capturing all of Ukraine and reclaiming parts of Europe that belonged to the former Soviet empire, six sources familiar ‌with U.S. intelligence said, even as negotiators seek an end to the war that would leave Russia with far less territory.

The reports present a starkly different picture from that painted by U.S. ‌President Donald Trump and his Ukraine peace negotiators, who have said Putin wants to end the conflict. The most recent of the reports dates from late September, according to one of the sources.

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