While important news from the hot region continued to come from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a remarkable statement was made by the USA. William Burns, Director of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), who was the US Ambassador to Moscow 15 years ago, made statements about the plans of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and also stated that all the calculations of the Russian leader were wrong. Burns delivered the remarkable speech while addressing students and faculty at Georgia Tech University on the work of the CIA.
“I BLEACHED MOST OF MY GRAY HAIR FROM TALKING WITH PUTIN’S RUSSIA”
Explaining that the three important challenges facing the USA are China, Russia and emerging technologies, Burns said, “I bleached most of my gray hair by dealing with Vladimir Putin’s Russia.” said.
“I OBSERVED 15 YEARS AGO”
Burns stated that when he was the US Ambassador to Moscow 15 years ago, he observed “constant complaints”, “greed”, “distrust” and “passion for revenge” in Putin.
Arguing that Putin’s “risk appetite” increased as his dominance over Russia increased, Burns emphasized that those around him never questioned this situation.
Reminding that the US intelligence began to gather information that Putin was preparing a new and major invasion plan for Ukraine at the beginning of last fall, the Director of the CIA said that the Russian leader and those around him dreamed that Russia could only become a great power with a Ukraine under his control.
Burns used the following statements about his meeting with Putin:
“I have learned over the years never to underestimate Putin’s relentless determination, especially on Ukraine. In early November, President Biden asked Russia to directly convey to Putin and several of his closest advisers the depth of our concerns over his war planning and the results of Russia’s attempt to implement that plan. He asked me to go to Ukraine. What I heard troubled me. He didn’t seem to have made an irreversible decision to invade Ukraine yet. Putin apparently convinced that his time was running out to shape Ukraine’s direction, he defiantly headed there. Also this winter President Zelensky And the Ukrainians, whom he thought could not oppose the Russian army, seemed to believe that there was an opportunity for him, that the Russian army could achieve a quick and decisive victory with minimal cost.
“ALL ACCOUNTS ARE WRONG”
Pointing out that Putin thinks that European countries are distracted due to their domestic politics and risks, Burns said, “Each of these calculations of Putin has been proven to be wrong. He has been fighting against Ukraine, which he claims is not a real country for years.” used the phrase.
Burns pointed out that the US intelligence played a critical role in the seven-week war process and stated that his country would continue to share intelligence with Ukraine throughout the war.
“To prevent the false narratives and false flag operations that Putin has used so often in the past, President Biden has taken unprecedented steps to make some of our secrets publicly available. This has made it difficult for Putin to hide the truth of his gratuitous and brutal aggression.” made its assessment.
Stating that he had no doubt that Russia would use extreme violence against civilians with the brutal pain and damage that Russia could inflict on Ukraine with this war, Burns reminded that Moscow had carried out operations that led to the death of thousands of civilians in the past.
Burns explained that they are concerned that Russia may use tactical or low-impact nuclear weapons, because the use of nuclear power is included in Russian doctrine when in difficulty.
“CHINA IS TRYING TO INCREASE ITS NUCLEAR ARMORY TO 1000 WAR HEADS”
Referring to the rise of China, Burns claimed that the rise of China is not a bad thing by nature, that the United States has benefited from this growth, but that Beijing is trying to use this growth to disrupt the global order.
“In the last few years, Beijing has hacked at least 150 US companies to steal trade secrets. It is trying to increase its nuclear arsenal to 1,000 warheads. It has detained 1 million of its own citizens simply because they are Muslims, and thousands of people for peacefully promoting democracy in Hong Kong,” Burns said. arrested.” he said.
Burns stated that China is trying to oppose the USA in every field. “As an intelligence service, we’ve never had to deal with another adversary with so much reach in so many areas.” used the phrase
Burns stated that they aim to double the number of Mandarin-speaking staff over the next few years, significantly increasing the number of positions focused on China, as they did with Soviet specialists during the Cold War. (AA)