MI6 Chief Warns Putin Deliberately Prolonging Ukraine Peace Negotiations as UK Prepares for Escalating Russian Threat

MI6 chief Blaise Metrewelis and Russian President Vladimir Putin

The newly appointed chief of Britain's foreign intelligence service MI6 has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of deliberately extending negotiations to end the Ukraine conflict, complicating President Donald Trump's ambitions to secure a peace deal before year-end.

"We all continue to face the menace of an aggressive, expansionist and revisionist Russia, seeking to subjugate Ukraine and NATO members," stated Blaise Metreweli during her first public appearance since assuming leadership of MI6 in September. Regarding Putin, she asserted: "He is dragging out negotiations and shifting the cost of war onto his own population."

"Putin should be in no doubt, our support is enduring. The pressure we apply on Ukraine's behalf will be sustained," she emphasized, potentially suggesting UK intelligence officials believe Russia sees strategic advantage in continuing combat operations through winter months.

Metreweli's assessment indicates little change in Western security officials' view that Putin remains committed to continuing the Ukraine conflict, despite recent diplomatic engagements between Kremlin representatives and American negotiators.

Her predecessor Richard Moore confirmed to Bloomberg last month that the latest intelligence available before his departure supported this same conclusion.

Metreweli also highlighted broader threats from Russia and other adversaries. Hours following her remarks, Britain's armed forces chief cautioned in his own address that more British citizens should prepare for potential military service as part of a "whole of nation response" to the Russian threat. This stark messaging echoes NATO chief Mark Rutte's recent comments about being "prepared for the scale of war our grandparents and great-grandparents endured."

The Trump administration has recently intensified peace efforts. A US delegation led by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner engaged with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European national security advisers on Sunday, seeking to establish a framework acceptable to both Kyiv and Moscow.

Earlier this month, Witkoff and Kushner met with Putin for extensive talks in the Kremlin. On Sunday, Putin's foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov warned that Russia considers certain Ukrainian settlement proposals "unacceptable," specifically stating that Russia would "1 million percent" not relinquish control of Crimea, which it annexed in 2014.

In her inaugural speech as the first female MI6 chief, Metreweli warned that the world is "more dangerous and contested now than it has been for decades," with Europe "operating in a space between peace and war." This sentiment was reinforced by Chief of the Defence Staff Richard Knighton on Monday, who noted that British citizens don't perceive the Russian threat as acutely as others in Europe.

Knighton revealed that the UK faces daily Russian cyber-attacks, while Metreweli confirmed MI6's assessment that Russia was responsible for drone operations "buzzing airports and bases" across Europe. "We should be under no illusions that Russia has a massive, increasingly technically sophisticated, and now, highly combat-experienced, military," Knighton stated.

He advocated for a comprehensive national response ensuring government, society, and industry are prepared to "act or bear the costs" as maintaining peace becomes increasingly expensive. Knighton endorsed the French defense chief Fabien Mandon's position that more people must be ready to defend their country, suggesting "more families will know what sacrifice for our nation means."

These security warnings come amid frustration within military and defense sectors regarding funding uncertainty. The government has not clarified post-2027 defense spending increases or their financial sources. Its defense investment plan, which will outline funding allocation, has been delayed and likely won't be released before Christmas.

While Knighton did not explicitly demand accelerated spending commitments, he emphasized Britain's defense industry needs additional private capital and that the evolving threat landscape "might require difficult decisions on priorities," suggesting potential reallocation of resources from welfare programs to defense.

Both speeches addressed the importance of leveraging emerging technologies against adversaries. Metreweli warned that hostile nations are exploiting social media algorithms to create discord, and that control over new technologies was "shifting from states to corporations and sometimes to individuals."

Metreweli devoted significant attention to her previous role as MI6's technology chief, a position known as 'Q' that gained fame through the James Bond franchise.

She argued that "the defining challenge of the 21st century is not simply who wields the most powerful technologies, but who guides them with the greatest wisdom." She identified artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and quantum computing as technologies with potential to create "science-fiction-like tools" presenting both challenges and opportunities.

"As China will be a central part of the global transformation taking place this century, it is essential that we, as MI6, continue to inform the government's understanding of China's rise and the implications for UK national security," Metreweli added, as Prime Minister Keir Starmer prepares for next month's Beijing visit.