During the meeting, Zelensky and his senior intelligence officials were most concerned about how much Ukraine could continue to support the United States and the West after the Republicans took over the House of Representatives. Support for Ukrainian aid dwindles Among some of the US voters, people familiar with the conference said. All spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss high-level engagement in private.
Burns emphasized battlefield emergencies and acknowledged that at some point it would be difficult to get help, the people said.
Zelensky and his aides are under the impression that the Biden administration’s support for Kyiv remains strong and that the $45 billion emergency fund for Ukraine passed by Congress in December will last until at least July or August. , walked away from last week’s meeting. Said. Kyiv is unsure about the prospects of parliament passing another multi-billion dollar supplemental aid package, as they did last spring, they said.
While hawkish Republicans in Congress continue to support arming Ukraine, other conservatives say they want to cut US spending, especially the billions of dollars spent on the war effort.
“Secretary Burns traveled to Kyiv where he met with Ukrainian intelligence officials and President Zelensky to bolster continued support for Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression,” said a US official.
Burns is a respected figure among Zelensky’s entourage because he accurately warned that Russian forces would attempt an attack in January 2022. Occupy Ukraine’s Antonov Airport In the early stages of the invasion on February 24th. His message, delivered in person, was based on an assessment by US intelligence agencies and is believed to have helped prepare Ukraine to defend the airport. Denies Russia the necessary foothold to occupy Kyiv.
Byrnes’ skepticism about Russia’s willingness to negotiate endears him to Zelensky’s aide, who is outraged by suggestions that Ukraine should consider holding talks with Russia to end the conflict.
“Most disputes end in negotiations, but in this case the Russian side needs to get serious,” Barnes told PBS last month. “At least, it is not our assessment that Russia is serious about real negotiations at this point.”
A CIA spokesperson declined to reveal what Burns told Zelensky about Russia’s military plans. Any insight he might provide would be appreciated in Kyiv.
Ukrainian and Russian forces are now embroiled in a fierce battle of attrition in eastern Ukraine around Bakhmut. Although the city is of relatively little strategic value, it has taken on symbolic importance, especially for Russia, which has not occupied a major Ukrainian city since last summer.
Military analysts expect increased fighting this spring could determine the trajectory of the war.
America and Western countries Quickly It deploys armored vehicles, artillery and missiles to Ukraine to bolster the Ukrainian military’s firepower. It hopes that the additional equipment will enable Zelensky’s forces to break through Russian-controlled areas such as Zaporizhia in an offensive expected to launch in the coming months.
Meanwhile, Russia aims to launch its own offensive in the spring, fueling hopes of recruiting more troops after mobilizing 300,000 troops last September. Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu announced in December a proposal to increase the country’s military personnel from 1.1 million today to 1.5 million by 2026.
Having recruited convicted felons for the war effort, Moscow has shown a willingness to endure heavy casualties. Last year many of the recruits were very inexperienced with only two weeks of training before being sent to the front lines. But Western intelligence agencies say Russia has improved its training in recent months.
A former ambassador to Russia and a senior State Department official, Mr. Burns is one of the US government’s leading figures on Russia. He has thought extensively about what place Ukraine has in the Russian psyche.
When the topic of Ukraine’s NATO membership was debated during the George W. Bush administration, Burns underscored the depth of Russia’s opposition to the idea in a memo to then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. bottom.
“Ukrainian entry into NATO is the brightest red line for the Russian elite (and not only [Vladimir] Putin),” he wrote. “I have yet to see anyone who sees Ukraine in NATO as nothing more than a direct challenge to Russian interests.”
Most recently, Burns linked the Russian president’s decision to invade Ukraine to be a key step in his goal of restoring Moscow to its former glory.
“He is convinced that his destiny as Russia’s leader is to revive Russia as a great power,” he told an audience at the Security Forum in Aspen in July. “He believes the key to doing that is to reestablish spheres of influence in Russia’s neighborhood, and he does not believe that it can be done without controlling Ukraine and its choices. I think that’s what created this terrible war.”
burns too visited Ukraine in November. According to sources familiar with his trip, the trip provides an opportunity for the spy chief to build trust with his intelligence agency counterparts and better understand the conflict.
Burns’ latest visit came ahead of a busy week of commitments in Ukraine.
On Tuesday, US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark A. Milley met with his Ukrainian counterpart in Poland. their first face-to-face interaction Since the outbreak of war.
On Wednesday, Zelensky urged Ukrainian supporters to send tanks and air defense missiles and criticized Germany for refusing to supply the latest Leopard tanks unless the United States sent more advanced Abrams tanks.
“There are times when you shouldn’t hesitate,” Zelenskiy told the crowd via video feed in Davos, Switzerland.
That same day, NATO Defense Ministers launched a two-day conference in Brussels that divided the allies and Poland on the topic of Leopard tanks. Intimidation Send 14 tanks, whether or not Germany approves. Germany is the manufacturer of Leopard 2, so technically German approval is required.
“Either we get this agreement or we do the right thing ourselves,” Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told a local broadcaster.
