According to information from the American daily The Washington Post confirmed to AFP, the director of the CIA, William Burns, recently made a trip to Ukraine, where he met intelligence officials as well as President Volodymyr Zelensky. This visit, which was not made public at the time it was made, took place as Ukrainian forces continue their counter-offensive launched in June in the east and south of the country against the Russian armies.
On this occasion, William Burns reaffirmed “the American commitment to sharing intelligence to help Ukraine defend against Russian aggression,” a US official said on condition of anonymity. According to the American daily The Washington Post, the first to report on this trip, the Ukrainian leaders presented plans to retake territories occupied by Russian forces and begin ceasefire negotiations by the end of the year. year. The trip took place in June, the newspaper adds.
According to this American official, William Burns “has traveled to Ukraine as he has done regularly since the beginning, more than a year ago, of the recent Russian aggression”. The trip took place before the 24-hour rebellion led on June 24 by the boss of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigojine, said the same source. The mutiny, seen as the worst threat to Kremlin authority in decades, “was not a topic of discussion”, she said.
The United States tried to make it clear to Russia that it had played no role in the rebellion. Most US mainstream media reported on Friday that William Burns phoned Russian Foreign Intelligence (SVR) boss Sergei Naryshkin after the rebellion to assure him that the United States was not involved.
The Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Army, Valeri Zaluzhny, said in an interview published Friday by The Washington Post, that the lack of armament, including fighter jets, was limiting the Ukrainian counteroffensive. On Tuesday, June 27, the United States announced $500 million in new aid to support the counteroffensive, including ammunition for anti-aircraft defenses and armored vehicles.
