Russian President Vladimir Putin thinks it is impossible for him to win the war in Ukraine. Rather, the level of intensity of the war should be increased more than before. But there is no sign of him using strategic nuclear weapons to do that. That’s what Bill Burns, the director of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), said about Putin. Khabar Al-Jazeera.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Last Saturday, Bill Burns said Russian forces had failed to occupy Kiev and were fighting to make significant progress on the main battlefields of the southeastern Danube. In spite of all this, Putin’s belief that his forces would be able to defeat the Ukrainian army has not changed.
Talking about the Russian president’s attitude towards the current situation in the Ukraine war, the CIA chief said that despite the defeats on the main battlefields, Putin’s faith in his forces had not been shaken.
“He (Putin) has an idea where he doesn’t believe he can lose,” Burns said. The head of the US Central Intelligence Agency also said Putin had been “steaming” Ukraine for years.
Bill Burns said the Russian leader’s enthusiasm had not waned, despite strong resistance from Ukrainian troops. Because he has done a lot to carry out this attack.
Strategic nuclear weapons
Burns was the former US ambassador to Russia. He has spent a lot of time getting to know Russian leaders. The CIA and other Western intelligence agencies do not see any indication that Moscow will direct the use of strategic nuclear weapons to win over Ukraine.
However, shortly after the February 24 invasion of Ukraine, Russia maintained a nuclear alert. Since then, Putin and other Russian officials have threatened to use nuclear weapons if the West intervenes in the war in Ukraine.
Burns said: “I do not see any intelligence in Russia. However, we do not take lightly the threat of a military strike from the Russian leadership.
However, Burns did not make any assessment of the current situation on the battlefield in Ukraine. He also made no predictions about how the war would end.
China ‘unstable’
The CIA chief also spoke in the context of China, which is now Washington’s primary rival. The CIA chief said China was now closely monitoring the war in Ukraine. They are doing this out of a desire to take control of Taiwan.
Burns does not believe that Chinese President Xi Jinping has deviated from the goal of uniting Taiwan; Even if it is necessary by force. But Burns said the Chinese president was surprised by the poor performance of Russian troops in Ukraine and Ukraine’s resistance. Similarly, Western military aid to Ukraine has come as a surprise.
The CIA chief also said that Russia’s “Ukraine experience” may have influenced China’s reconciliation with Taiwan. He added that what Putin has done has brought Europeans and Americans closer together. This has made Beijing ‘unstable’.
