The former British intelligence officer said the peace talks between the Russians and Ukrainians were not likely to prevail while Putin is still in power.
Christopher Steele, who previously ran the Russia desk at the British intelligence service MI6 and author of the controversial Russia dossier, believes the Ukraine war will only end when a deal is made that probably excludes Vladimir Putin and potentially sees him overthrown or assassinated. Since Putin declared war on Ukraine on February 24, thousands have died and millions of Ukrainians have been uprooted from their homes, many fleeing to other European countries. Steele ran the Russia desk at the MI6 headquarters in London between 2006 and 2009. Regarded in the intelligence community as a Russia expert, he was also selected as case officer for Alexander Litvinenko and participated in the investigation of the FSB defector’s poisoning, The Telegraph reported. Steele quickly concluded that his death was orchestrated by the Russian government, though the Kremlin has denied this. In an interview with Sky News that aired on Thursday, Steele said that the peace talks between the Russians and Ukrainians were not likely to prevail while Putin is still in power.
