According to William Burns, the head of the CIA, Ukraine should strike deeper into the territories occupied by Russia.
Ukraine is likely to have a difficult year ahead in its fight against Russia, says the head of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). William Burns.
He added that if the US cuts aid to Ukraine, it would be a mistake of “historic proportions”.
Burns commented on the matter on Tuesday In an article published on the website of Foreign Affairs magazine. He also said that Ukraine could increase the cost of the war to Russia by striking deeper behind the front lines.
Known as the former US ambassador to Moscow, Burns says that the war has begun to erode the power of Russian President Vladimir Putin. In addition, Burns suggests that China might take a more aggressive stance toward Taiwan if it saw US support for Ukraine waning.
– This will probably be a tough year on the battlefields of Ukraine, Burns commented in the article.
– If the United States walks away from the conflict at this crucial moment and cuts off its support to Ukraine, it would be an own goal of historic proportions, Burns states.
According to Burns, the challenge for Ukraine is to puncture Putin’s arrogance and show Russia the high costs of the ongoing conflict. Ukraine should show the price of war by making progress on the front line, launching a series of strikes deeper behind the lines, and making steady progress in the Black Sea region, Burns says.
With his comment, Burns seems to be referring to Russian-occupied areas in Ukraine, rather than attacks inside Russia’s borders.
The United States has not supplied Ukraine with long-range HIMARS missiles, so that Ukraine could not strike targets inside Russia’s borders.
The US Congress has granted more than $110 billion in aid to Ukraine since Russia launched its war of aggression in February 2022. Congress has not granted new aid packages since the Republicans took control of the House of Representatives in January 2023, writes the Reuters news agency.
Source: Reuters