It is the first time they have appeared together at a public event in their 77-year partnership. It is also the latest move by the US and British intelligence agencies to step out of the shadows and warn of the growing dangers facing the world. On Saturday, September 7, the directors of the CIA, Bill Burns, and of Britain’s MI6, Richard Moore, met in London to discuss the importance of their cooperation in the face of “unprecedented” threats, including Putin’s Russia. “Putin is a tyrant. He’s going to continue to make a big splash from time to time,” Burns said, referring to the Kremlin’s threats of nuclear escalation.
“There was a point in the fall of 2022 where I think there was a real risk of potential use of tactical nuclear weapons by Russia,” the CIA director acknowledged, though he said such concerns would no longer be relevant today. At the time, Russian troops had been pushed back into northern Ukraine and had abandoned Kherson in the south, suggesting that Russia might seek to use a nuclear weapon if defeated.
Shortly afterwards, the front line had fortunately stabilised. “Ukraine’s offensive at Kursk has now undermined Vladimir Putin’s war narrative,” Burns continued, before his British counterpart tempered it, recalling that it was “too early” to say how long Kiev’s forces would be able to control the Russian territory they had seized.
New ceasefire proposals
Another source of concern related to the conflict is the possibility that Iran could supply ballistic missiles to Russia, although the CIA has not confirmed this scenario. This would represent a “dramatic escalation” in relations between the two countries, according to Burns, since Tehran has so far only supplied low-performance drones to Russia for use in Ukraine.
On the Gaza war, the CIA director said the United States was working hard on new ceasefire proposals. A new plan, developed with the help of mediators from Qatar and Egypt, would emerge, he hoped, “in the coming days.” However, it was not clear, Burns added, that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar were ready to make a deal. “Do the leaders on both sides recognize or not that enough war has been done and that it is finally time to find common ground?” he asked.
Israel has succeeded in “seriously degrading” Hamas’ military capabilities over the past 11 months, Burns also said, but has not eliminated the terrorist movement in a war that has created a serious humanitarian crisis. “In addition to being an organization, Hamas is an idea,” the U.S. intelligence chief said, and one can only “kill an idea with a better idea,” meaning creating “long-term hope for the Palestinians.”