News reports say the director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) traveled to Ukraine last week for secret talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Neither Zelenskiy’s office nor Ukrainian government officials have commented publicly on reports of the trip by William Burns.
But The Washington Post and The New York Times said on January 19 the journey was made so that Burns could brief Ukrainian officials on U.S. intelligence about Russian military intentions in the coming months.
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Ukrainian military commanders have warned publicly that Russia may be preparing for a new offensive. Ukraine itself is believed to be laying the groundwork for its own counteroffensive.
Both sides are currently engaged in fierce fighting for control of several eastern Ukrainian towns, including Bakhmut and Soledar, and further to the north, Kreminna.
The Post said other topics raised by Burns, a former U.S. ambassador to Russia, included the growing reluctance by some U.S. lawmakers to continue providing the billions of dollars in weaponry and equipment to Ukraine.
Congress last month passed a $45 billion spending package for Ukrainian support, and the Defense Department on January 19 announced a new, $2.5 billion package that includes Stryker light infantry armored vehicles and other weapons but does not promise modern tanks, which Kyiv has been pressuring officials to send.
“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,” the Post quoted an unnamed U.S. official as saying.
Burns is widely credited with providing crucial intelligence to Ukraine in the immediate run-up to last February’s invasion. News reports say he notified Ukrainian officials that Russia’s invasion plan included trying to seize the Hostomel airfield north of Kyiv in an effort to quickly seize the Ukrainian capital.
Ukrainian forces fended off the attempted Russian move, thwarting the attack and ultimately forcing Russian troops to withdraw from districts north of Kyiv and reposition to eastern Ukraine.
Burns was the latest top U.S. official to travel to Kyiv.
Earlier this week, Deputy State Secretary Wendy Sherman, and Defense Undersecretary Colin Kahl, and Jon Finer, a top White House national security official, held talks with Ukrainian officials in Kyiv.
Also this week, the commander-in-chief of Ukraine's armed forces, General Valery Zaluzhny, met with his U.S. counterpart, General Mark Miller, for talks in Poland.