CIA Director Burns said that the next six months will be a crucial time on the battlefield in Ukraine, when Russia believes that the West will reduce support for Kiev.
“Russian President Vladimir Putin is betting that time will work to his advantage,” US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director William Burns said on February 2 at a foreign policy event in the US. Georgetown University, Washington D.C.. “We think the key will be on the battlefield in the next six months.”
According to Burns, President Putin believes that this time will make the West less interested in Ukraine and “political fatigue” in the US and Europe will give Russian forces an advantage on the battlefield. .
William Burns at CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, August 2022. Photo: Reuters.
“The West needs to make it clear to Mr. Putin that Russia can’t go any further in Ukraine, and the risk of losing territory in Ukraine is getting bigger every day. So I think this next phase will be extremely intense. important,” said the CIA director.
Burns, who served as ambassador to Russia, said Western intelligence showed Moscow was not interested in peace talks to resolve the Ukraine crisis. “We don’t believe that Putin is serious about negotiations,” he said.
During the event, the CIA director also mentioned relations between Russia and China since the war in Ukraine broke out. According to him, the Chinese President may be “surprised, uneasy” and seek to learn from the “very poor combat effectiveness of the Russian army and its weapon systems in the military campaign in Ukraine.” “.
Russia and China signed an “unlimited” partnership last year, days before Russia launched a military campaign in Ukraine, and economic ties between the two sides have soared as the West has turned its back on Moscow.
China holds the position of not condemning Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine. Beijing has also repeatedly voiced support for Moscow, affirming the good relations between the two sides. Meanwhile, President Putin said that Russia is pivoting towards Asia, especially China, under the pressure of sanctions from the West.
Huyen Le (Theo Reuters)