CIA Director William Burns
The head of the U.S. intelligence agency reportedly visited Ukraine to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky.
U.S. media outlets including the New York Times reported on the 30th (local time) that U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director William Burns made an undisclosed visit to Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, during June to discuss military operations with President Zelensky.
It is known that the visit was made before Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner Group, rebelled on the 24th of last month. Burns reaffirmed the U.S. position that “through information sharing, we will help Ukraine fight a Russian aggression,” a U.S. government official said.
The Washington Post (WP) reported that during this meeting, Ukraine conveyed its position to the United States that it would recapture the occupied territories from Russia and engage in peace negotiations with Russia by the end of the year.
Ukrainian officials also told Burns that they were confident that they would move artillery and missile systems closer to the Crimean border and advance further into eastern Ukraine, the WP reported. “Russia will only negotiate when it feels threatened,” said a senior Ukrainian official.
Burns is said to have visited Ukraine periodically since the outbreak of war last year. The CIA declined to comment on Ukraine’s plans.
#CIA #chief #visits #Ukraine #secret #discuss #counteroffensive
2023-07-01 07:59:00
