2023-07-01 06:44:16
▲William Burns, Director of the CIA
The head of the US intelligence agency is said to have visited Ukraine to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The New York Times reported on the 30th local time that CIA Director William Burns visited Ukraine’s capital Kiev last month to meet with President Zelensky and Ukrainian intelligence officials.
It was found that the time of the visit was before the Wagner group led by Yevgeny Prigozin launched an armed rebellion in Russia on the 24th.
Burns reaffirmed the US position that “through intelligence sharing we will help Ukraine fight a Russian invasion,” a US government official said on condition of anonymity.
High-ranking Ukrainian officials are said to have explained the counterattack operation plan to Director Burns and strongly expressed their willingness to recapture the southern region of Ukraine occupied by Russia.
The Washington Post also reported that Burns explained the position that Ukraine would recapture the Russian occupied territory and engage in peace negotiations with Russia by the end of the year.
According to three sources familiar with Ukraine’s counteroffensive operations, Ukrainian officials told Burns and others that they were confident that by the fall they would recapture significant territory, move artillery and missile systems closer to the border with Crimea, and push further into eastern Ukraine. It did, the Washington Post reported.
The CIA declined to comment on Burns’ assessment of Ukraine’s plans.
Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal reported that after the Wagner group insurgency was over, Burns called the director of Russia’s foreign intelligence service, Sergei Naryshkin, and directly explained that the United States was not involved in the armed rebellion.
US President Joe Biden also emphasized that “we have nothing to do with it” in a speech at the White House.
Previously, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with local media on the 27th of last month that he was investigating whether Western countries were involved in the Wagner rebellion, raising concerns from the West.
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