Wilmington, Del. (AP) – As war rages in Ukraine entering its second year, CIA Director William Burns said on Sunday that Russian President Vladimir Putin being “overwhelmingly confident” in the ability of his military to bring Ukraine into subjection.
Burns said in a televised interview that the head of Russia’s intelligence services had demonstrated at their November meeting “a sense of arrogance and arrogance” that reflects Putin’s own beliefs “that he can make time work for them, that he believes he can grind down Ukrainians, that he can undermine our European allies”. , that political fatigue would eventually set in.”
The conversation, in which Burns warned Russia of the consequences of deploying nuclear weapons in Ukraine, was “quite disappointing”, Burns said.
Burns said he described Putin as “quite determined” to continue the war despite casualties, strategic shortcomings, and the economic and reputational damage to Russia.
“I think Putin is overconfident right now in his ability to undermine Ukraine,” Burns told CBS’ “Face the Nation” in an interview that aired Sunday. Burns said that “at some point, they will have to face the rising costs as well as the caskets coming home to some of the poorest parts of Russia,” where he said many recruits were “being thrown out as cannon fodder”. are from
Burns also said that Putin was undermining American resolve to support Ukraine, adding that it has been his experience that the Russian leader’s view is that Americans “have an attention deficit disorder and we will eventually end up with someone else.” Will move on to the issue.”
The remarks come at a critical juncture for the war as the Biden administration is “convinced that the Chinese leadership is considering” whether to provide “lethal” military equipment to Russia.
“It would be a very risky and unwise bet,” Burns said. “So I really hope they don’t.”
Burns said that China’s leader, Xi Jinping, has watched carefully how the war has developed, and “I think, in many ways, he has been disturbed and taken aback by what he has seen.” The CIA director spoke of “where Putin’s hubris has now gotten Russia,” and that in totalitarian systems, when “no one challenges the leader,” “you can make some big mistakes.”
Meanwhile, the question of military aid and the pace of the war is also a source of uncertainty in the US as Republican lawmakers criticized the administration for not sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the US is providing military assistance to Ukraine to take back territory seized by Russia. The domestic politics of support for Ukraine is also complicated by some GOP members of Congress who say the administration should step back and focus more on needs at home.
Rep. Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Foreign Relations Committee, said the aircraft and long-range artillery could help end the war on a faster timeline. “This whole thing is taking too long,” McCall said. “And it really didn’t need to be that way,” said McCaul, R-Texas.
Ukraine received support in its quest to acquire Western fighter jets from the Baltic countries and Poland last month, but there have been no signs that nations such as the US and Britain will change their stance on denying Kiev the warplanes. Will make changes.
Biden said in an ABC News interview on Friday that he is “just ruling it out,” Stating that they are not the weapons Ukrainians need in the near term.
But Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, said the White House has been slow to respond to Ukraine’s demands, including the jet. “There has been a pattern with this administration from the beginning where they have been slow to move critical military weapons systems,” he said.
Jake Sullivan said the US is already providing parts to keep Ukraine’s fleet of Soviet-era jets flying, but supplying F-16s “is really for another day, for another phase” of the war. The question of
Jake Sullivan appeared on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” CNN’s “State of the Union,” and ABC’s “This Week.” McCall was on ABC and Dan Sullivan was on NBC.