State Department, CIA had different views on Putin’s willingness to negotiate - WSJ
In early 2025, the internal intelligence service of the US State Department had doubts about Vladimir Putin's readiness to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, while the Central Intelligence Agency expressed a more positive assessment.
As reported by Censor.NET with a link to "European Truth," sources told The Wall Street Journal about this.
It is noted that at the beginning of Donald Trump's administration, US officials repeatedly asked intelligence analysts for data on the situation in Ukraine in order to determine Putin's goals in Ukraine and assess his readiness to negotiate an end to the war.
Sources added that CIA analysts have concluded that the US president may find opportunities for negotiations with Putin.
In turn, analysts at the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR) referred to Putin's own statements, in which he emphasized the priority of "demilitarization" and "denazification" of Ukraine.
The publication writes that the State Department has concluded that the Russian dictator will ultimately not be prepared to abandon his maximalist demands. These assessments were prepared even before the meeting between Putin and Trump in Alaska.
The Wall Street Journal notes that INR leadership subsequently informed analysts that their differing assessments were damaging the Bureau's credibility among government officials. Subsequently, several analysts were dismissed, and one resigned.
It should be noted that in recent weeks, Donald Trump has begun to speak publicly about Putin's unwillingness to end military operations in Ukraine.
We would like to remind you that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently stated that Putin can be forced to make peace – just like any other terrorist.
What preceded it?
Earlier, Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine is ready for diplomacy, but not at the expense of its territories.
The Washington Post reported that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin demanded that Ukraine give up the Donetsk region during a conversation with US President Donald Trump. In exchange for full control over Donetsk region, he is allegedly willing to give up the occupied territories of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that if Ukraine agrees to a bad territorial solution, the remaining issues regarding the end of the war will be resolved without Kyiv.
