Ex-MI6 chief: lasting peace with Russia unlikely while Putin rules

Former MI6 chief John Sawyers stated that a lasting peace between Ukraine and Russia is nearly impossible while Vladimir Putin remains in power, predicting a full peace agreement is unlikely before the end of 2027. Sawyers said the best achievable outcome now is reducing the war's intensity to pre-2022 levels. He praised US contacts with Moscow but doubted current American envoys can succeed, as Putin's demands remain unacceptable. He suggested productive ceasefire talks could emerge in 2027 as both sides feel the war's economic costs. His comments came as Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow on September 5 with a peace proposal before visiting Kyiv. Bloomberg previously reported expectations for their visit were "extremely low," noting past US missions yielded no results.