German secret service: Putin seeking end of conflict on battlefield

Almost one year after the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine ordered by President Vladimir Putin, the leadership in Moscow is showing no sign of being open to negotiating an end to the conflict, according to Germany's secret service.

There was no indication at all that Putin was willing to achieve a peace agreement, the head of Germany's foreign intelligence service BND, Bruno Kahl, said in comments to German media group Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND) published on Wednesday.

At the moment, Putin was concerned with ending the conflict "on the battlefield and obtaining as many advantages as possible there in order to then perhaps dictate a peace agreement on his terms at some point in the future," the German intelligence chief said.

Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24 last year.

Kahl also pointed out that the country was still capable of sending many more soldiers to the front. Of the 300,000 mobilized by Moscow in autumn last year, some were still being trained while others had already been sent to the front lines, he said.

Russia had a "further mobilization potential" of "up to 1 million men, if that is deemed necessary in the Kremlin," the German intelligence chief said.

Despite Russia's advantage in terms of numbers, Ukraine was currently still able to defend itself against Moscow's forces very effectively, Kahl said.

"But this is a difficult struggle in the long run, and it will only be successful on the Ukrainian side if the West's support is really sustained."

By now, the Russian troops had managed to put an end to surprise advances from the Ukrainians. Instead, Kahl described the current situation on the battlefield as trench warfare, "a very cruel, brutal war of attrition."