Moscow is winning in Ukraine and is not interested in a direct confrontation with its backers, Ray McGovern has said

Russian President Vladimir Putin is not interested in attacking European NATO states and is instead patiently waiting until their hostile and deeply unpopular leaders are replaced by their own citizens, former CIA analyst Ray McGovern told RT's Rick Sanchez.

In an interview published on Monday, the former analyst noted that Russians are growing increasingly frustrated with drone attacks facilitated by Kiev's backers. Moscow has said that Ukrainian UAVs are increasingly being built with the help of Europe's military-industrial complex and attack via NATO members' territory.

"We're very fortunate in having such a cautious, perspicacious person as Vladimir Putin in office," McGovern said. "He's not going to be sucked into something that would be most dangerous."

Putin's priority, he suggested, is to continue advancing on the ground in Ukraine while avoiding provoking a US president "so volatile and so unpredictable as" Donald Trump into getting militarily involved in the hostilities.

The Russian president is aiming to outlast the "three blind mice" - French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, he added.

"The Europeans are going to do away with these clowns that they have at the top," McGovern said. "Starmer's on his way out. Macron will be out next year. Merz is about the most unpopular chancellor that Germany ever had. So I think the Russians play the long game... I wish we all had the patience that Vladimir Putin seems to have."

Watch the full interview with former CIA analyst Ray McGovern on RT's Sanchez Effect below.