There is "absolutely no evidence" that Russia's President Vladimir Putin wants to negotiate peace in Ukraine , the outgoing head of Britain's foreign intelligence agency said Friday in a speech. Sir Richard Moore, chief of the Secret Intelligence Service, or MI6 as it is more commonly known, said Putin was "stringing us along."

"He seeks to impose his imperial will by all means at his disposal. But he cannot succeed," Moore said. "Bluntly, Putin has bitten off more than he can chew. He thought he was going to win an easy victory. But he — and many others — underestimated the Ukrainians."

Moore was speaking at the British consulate in Istanbul after five years as head of MI6. He leaves the post at the end of September.

Sir Richard Moore, the head of Britain's MI6 intelligence agency,

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