US Intelligence Dismisses Reports of Putin’s Plans to Seize Ukraine and Parts of Europe as “Lies and Propaganda”

Intelligence Chief Refutes Reuters Report on Putin’s Expansionist Ambitions

U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has forcefully denied a Reuters report claiming Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to “seize all of Ukraine and part of Europe.” In a statement posted to her X account, Gabbard characterized the report as deliberate misinformation designed to undermine peace initiatives proposed by President Donald Trump’s administration.

“No, this is a lie and propaganda,” Gabbard wrote. “Reuters willingly speaks on behalf of the warmongers who want to undermine President Trump’s relentless efforts to end this bloody war, which has resulted in over a million casualties on both sides.”

The intelligence chief’s rebuke comes in response to a Reuters article that cited six unnamed sources claiming Putin maintains territorial ambitions extending beyond Ukraine to parts of Europe formerly under Soviet control. The report suggested these ambitions persist despite apparent willingness from Russian negotiators to end the current conflict.

Gabbard’s criticism extended beyond factual disagreement to questioning the motivation behind such reporting. She characterized the media narrative as “dangerous” and accused news outlets of deliberately stoking “hysteria and fear among people to make them support the escalation of the war.”

According to Gabbard, this fear-mongering serves the interests of NATO and European Union officials who allegedly desire direct U.S. military involvement in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Her statement represents an unusually direct challenge from an intelligence official to a major international news organization’s reporting on foreign policy matters.

In her statement, Gabbard offered a contradictory assessment of Russia’s capabilities and intentions based on U.S. intelligence findings. “U.S. intelligence assesses that Russia seeks to avoid a larger war with NATO,” she stated. “It also assesses that, as the last few years have shown, Russia’s combat operations indicate that it currently does not have the capability to conquer and occupy all of Ukraine, let alone Europe.”

This public contradiction of media reporting by a senior intelligence official highlights growing tensions between the Trump administration and mainstream media outlets over coverage of international conflicts. It also reflects the administration’s emphasis on diplomatic solutions to the Russia-Ukraine war, which has now dragged on for nearly three years with devastating human costs.

Military analysts have previously questioned Russia’s capacity to sustain large-scale offensive operations beyond its current positions in eastern and southern Ukraine. The Russian military has faced significant personnel, equipment, and logistical challenges throughout the conflict, though it maintains substantial artillery and air superiority in certain sectors.

The dispute occurs amid reports that Putin personally selected American real estate executive Steven Witkoff as an intermediary to advance Russia’s vision for resolving the conflict, according to a separate Wall Street Journal report. This suggests active back-channel diplomatic efforts may be underway despite public skepticism about negotiation prospects.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict has claimed hundreds of thousands of casualties since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. Peace negotiations have repeatedly stalled over fundamental disagreements about territorial control, security guarantees, and Ukraine’s future relationship with Western institutions.

As the Trump administration pursues what it characterizes as a more pragmatic approach to ending the conflict, tensions between government officials and media outlets over war reporting appear likely to intensify. Gabbard’s unusual public rebuke of Reuters signals the administration’s sensitivity to reporting it perceives as undermining diplomatic initiatives in the region.