Marking the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, CIA director William Burns mentioned Russian President Vladimir Putin was “solely too assured” in pondering he may drive the steadfast nation into give up.
Burns sat down with CBS’s Margaret Brennan, the place he mentioned the intelligence group’s perspective on Russia’s plan ahead within the battle. He mentioned his conversations with Sergey Naryshkin, the top of Russia’s Overseas Intelligence Service, had been “dispiriting,” and that Russia displayed a vanity that didn’t mirror Ukraine’s persistent protection.
“It was a defiant angle on the a part of Mr. Naryshkin as properly a way of cockiness and hubris, reflecting Putin’s personal view,” he mentioned. “He believes he can grind down the Ukrainians and put on down our European allies, that political fatigue will finally set in. In my opinion, Putin’s view of Individuals we’ve received consideration deficit dysfunction and we’ll transfer on to a different situation finally. Putin, in some ways, I believe, believes immediately that he can’t win for some time, however he can’t lose.”
He additionally reiterated the U.S.’s help for the war-torn nation, mirroring feedback Nationwide Safety Adviser Jake Sullivan made on a number of Sunday speak reveals. Each interviews adopted intelligence reviews that indicated China was contemplating supporting Russia’s efforts with ammunition and autos.
In a Meet the Press interview, Sullivan mentioned the U.S. was dedicated to supporting no matter Ukraine’s model of victory appeared like, however he demurred when he was requested to outline it himself. He additionally mentioned the U.S. wouldn’t decide to sending F-16 plane to the nation.
He additionally wouldn’t say whether or not the U.S. would help efforts to reclaim Crimea, even when Ukraine, because it has prior to now, declares it as a part of a win.
“The essential factor proper now’s that they should take again the territory within the South and the East that they’re at the moment targeted on. And we have to give them the instruments to have the ability to try this,” Sullivan mentioned. “The place we’re proper now’s that we must be targeted on the rapid time period, as a result of it’s essential that we transfer quick and we transfer decisively to assist them take again the territory throughout that line of contact that Russian troops are at the moment occupying.”
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