CIA director visited Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian leaders about Russia’s plans
Mike Brest
Video Embed
CIA Director William Burns recently and discretely traveled to Kyiv where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his intelligence counterparts to discuss Russia’s expected military maneuvers.
Burns, who visited back in October and November of last year as well, was in Ukraine for the meetings at the end of last week, which comes as U.S. officials are monitoring a possible Russian offensive in the coming months, according to the Washington Post.
RUSSIA HAS ‘NO CHANCE’ TO ‘ACHIEVE THEIR STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES,’ DOD OFFICIAL SAYS
“Director Burns traveled to Kyiv where he met with Ukrainian intelligence counterparts as well as President Zelensky and reinforced our continued support for Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression,” a U.S. official told the Washington Examiner.
Burns, per the Washington Post, discussed his expectations for Russia’s supposed military offensive, and his previous warnings, such as that Russia would look to capture Ukraine’s Antonov Airport in the early stages of the war, have proven correct, and that message is credited with helping Ukraine prepare for what became its successful defense of the airport.
The secret meeting came days ahead of Friday’s meeting of defense leaders from across the globe at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Joint Chief Gen. Mark Milley will participate in the eighth meeting of the Defense Contact Group, which is made up of roughly 50 defense leaders globally, and the group convenes monthly to discuss the latest developments in the war and how they can best assist Ukraine.
“We need to dig even deeper. This is a decisive moment for Ukraine in a decisive decade for the world, so make no mistake, we will support Ukraine self-defense for as long as it takes,” Austin told reporters before the meeting. “Ladies and gentlemen, this is a crucial moment. Russia is regrouping, recruiting, and trying to reequip. This is not a moment to slow down, it’s a time to dig deeper.”
At the heart of this meeting is Ukraine’s frequent and now urgent requests for tanks, which Kyiv described earlier this week as “one of the most pressing and urgent needs.”
The U.S. did not provide tanks in the $2.5 billion security assistance package the Pentagon announced on Thursday, while German leaders have said they are not prepared to send their Leopard tanks or let other European nations who possess them provide them to Ukraine at this moment. They would forgo their hesitation only if the U.S. provided tanks as well, according to reports, but defense officials said in recent days that logistically it wouldn’t make sense.
Instead, the package includes 90 Stryker Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs) with 20 mine rollers and 59 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs) with 590 TOW anti-tank missiles and 295,000 rounds of 25mm ammunition. This “will provide Ukraine with two brigades of armored capability” when combining it with the 50 Bradleys that were included in the previous aid package, according to a Pentagon announcement.
In recent weeks, much of the battleground war has been in the eastern Ukrainian town of Soledar, a small city near Bakhmut and a more strategically significant city that Russia has been trying to conquer for months. U.S. defense officials describe the situation in the area as “intense fighting,” though neither side is making significant gains.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Earlier this week, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced his country’s intention to expand the size of its military to roughly 1.5 million between now and 2026. While their current numbers are not clear, they previously announced their intent to increase the military’s size to more than 1.1 million members by Jan. 1 of this year.
Milley told reporters on Friday that Russia has likely lost “significantly well over 100,000” troops in the war, but their September partial call-up got them roughly 200,000-250,000 troops, “so they’re replacing their losses in terms of manpower, but they have suffered a huge amount.”