The building housing the Britain's MI6 is seen by the river Thames in London. On Friday, outgoing MI6 chief Richard Moore said Russian President Vladimir Putin has no interest in negotiating peace with Ukraine because he doesn't recognize the former Soviet republic's sovereignty. File Photo by Facundo Arrizabalaga/EPA
Sept. 19 (UPI) -- Britain's outgoing spy chief, Richard Moore, warned Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin has shown no intention of negotiating peace with Ukraine because he doesn't view the former Soviet republic as having its own sovereignty.
Moore made the remarks at the British consulate in Istanbul as he prepares to step down from his role as chief of the Secret Intelligence Service. He has led the organization, also known as MI6, for five years.
"I have seen absolutely no evidence that President Putin has any interest in a negotiated peace short of Ukraine capitulation," Moore said as he address efforts by Britain and the United States to broker a deal to resolve the conflict.
Putin "is stringing us along," Moore added. "Because the issue ... has always been sovereignty: Putin denies Ukraine's sovereignty and its very existence as a country and nation."
