Vladimir Putin is wrong if he thinks he can win the war of attrition in Ukraine, says CIA director | World News
The head of the CIA said that Vladimir Putin was “probably too healthy”, and denied rumors that the Russian president was suffering from a serious disease such as cancer.
William Burns, in a rare public appearance, also said that Russia’s leader would be proven wrong to believe he could win a bloody war of attrition. Ukraine – as he was previously proven wrong in assuming that his forces could capture Kyiv within the first few days of the invasion.
Addressing a wide range of topics at a security forum in Aspen, Colorado, the broadcaster talked about China, warning that The risk of Chinese troops invading Taiwan will grow in this decade.
He said Chinese President Xi Jinping’s determination to assert control over territory should not be underestimated.
Mr. Burns was asked if he thought Mr. Putin was unstable and unhealthy.
Mr Burns said: “As far as we can tell he may be too healthy, before quipping that this is an ‘informal intelligence judgment’.
The CIA director, who is also the former US ambassador to Moscow, has been tracking and dealing with Mr. Putin for more than two decades.
He said that the president believes his destiny is recovery Russia as a great power. The key to this is control Ukraine.
Giving the U.S. intelligence community the latest estimate of the number of casualties from the Russian invasion, which is drawing to a close in its fifth month, Burns said about 15,000 Russians were killed and three times that number were wounded. .
He says Ukraine’s numbers are also high – “perhaps a little less” than Russia’s.
CIA Director William Burns met with US President Joe Biden earlier this month. Photo: AP
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The CIA director predicts that the Kremlin will continue the war of attrition, believing that the will of the West to support Ukraine will falter.
However, he said Mr Putin miscalculated with his initial invasion plans, failed to capture Kyiv in a flash attack and would be proven wrong again.
“He asserted that Ukraine is not a real country, but real nations against.”
Responding to a question from NBC’s Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Andrea Mitchell, at the annual Aspen Security Forum, Mr. Burns spoke of another major challenge – China and, in particular, the fate of Taiwan.
Chairperson Joe Biden is expected to speak with his Chinese counterpart in the coming days at a time of simmering tensions between the world’s most powerful nations, especially over the fate of democratically ruled Taiwan. .
The US leader said America will intervene militarily if China attacks Taiwan.
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Mr Burns said such engagement was crucial in the context of “complex and dangerous competition”.
“I will not underestimate President Xi’s determination to assert the People’s Republic of China’s control over Taiwan,” the CIA director said.
“I think he determined that his army was capable of taking such an action if he decided to move in that direction. [in terms of using military force].
“I think the risk of that getting higher, it seems to us, the further away this decade, you’re going to get.”
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Mr. Burns said China’s political and military leaders appeared to be “to some extent uneasy” about the manner in which Russia’s attack on Ukraine was conducted, especially in the first weeks.
This is due to the faltering Russian military activity, the impact of the war on the world economy, and the way Putin’s actions have pushed European allies closer together with the United States.
At the same time, China is trying to learn from the Russian invasion in view of its plans for Taiwan.
“I think our consciousness is it [the lessons from Russia’s war] perhaps less influential on the question of whether the Chinese leadership might choose to use force to control Taiwan, but how and when will they do it,” the CIA director said.
As for the lesson, Mr. Burns said: “I suspect the lesson that the Chinese leadership and military are learning is that you have to use mass overwhelming force.”
Beijing also needs to shape global opinion in favor of any attack, protect its economy from the impact of sanctions and try to disrupt relations between the US and countries in the Indian region. Degree – Pacific Ocean.
