Kathrine Frich
Big diplomatic breakthroughs often rely on trust, private assurances and careful messaging between leaders.
But newly reported intelligence claims suggest a very different conversation may be happening behind closed doors.
British intelligence intercepts shared with the United States indicate Russian officials privately ridiculed President Donald Trump as “naive” for believing Vladimir Putin wants peace in Ukraine, the Daily Express reported.
Intercepts and claims
The claims were attributed to reporting by Tim Shipman in The Spectator in February 2026, based on material the UK shared with Washington.
A senior security source said the intercepts showed: “The Russians are privately mocking Trump over his naivety about Putin’s intentions. Putin doesn’t want to end the war.”
The reporting said the messages underscored a gap between the Kremlin’s public praise of Trump and what was described as more cynical private assessments.
Public praise, private scorn
According to the report, Putin has spoken warmly about Trump in public, with officials encouraging what was described as a “real estate style” peace deal.
But members of Russia’s elite allegedly viewed the US president as a “useful tool” who did not fully grasp the ideological nature of the conflict.
The Daily Express said the disclosures risk further straining ties marked by public flattery, occasional insults and military signalling.
Taunts and submarines
Tensions reportedly spiked in September 2025 after Trump mocked Russia’s military performance, calling it “a paper tiger.”
He later repeated the insult on Truth Social, writing: “You’re four years fighting a war that should have taken a week. Are you a paper tiger?”
Putin responded at the Valdai Discussion Club in October, saying: “A paper tiger? Go and deal with this paper tiger then. If we are fighting against the entire bloc of NATO and we keep advancing… then what is NATO itself?”
In August 2025, Dmitry Medvedev mocked what he described as Trump’s “ultimatum diplomacy,” accusing him of playing “zombie games”, the report said.
Trump then said he ordered two nuclear submarines to move to “appropriate regions” near Russia, calling it a precaution after Medvedev’s “inflammatory” remarks.
Medvedev later quipped: “Moscow saw no sign of the nuclear submarines Trump claimed to move… perhaps he should be pondering whether Putin is disappointed in him.”
Sources: Daily Express, The Spectator
