CIA boss says Russia has no intention of using nuclear weapons
William Burns, the director of the CIA, the American intelligence agency, on April 14, 2022 at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
AP - Brynn Anderson
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
William Burns explains, however, that Vladimir Putin is determined to continue the invasion.
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With our correspondent in New York,
Loubna Anaki
This is a fairly rare speech.
The CIA boss spoke at a press conference in Washington to answer questions about the conflict in Ukraine.
William Burns knows Russia very well, having been United States Ambassador there for three years.
He also often likes to say that he owes a good part of his white hair to Vladimir Putin.
According to him, therefore, the Russian president has no intention of ending the military invasion launched more than two months ago against Ukraine.
"
He's in such a state of mind that he doesn't think he can afford to lose
," the CIA boss said.
He also claims that according to information collected by the American intelligence agency, there is "
no concrete evidence
" showing that Russia is considering the use of tactical nuclear weapons.
But, he adds, "
given the warmongering statements that ... we have heard from Russian leaders, we cannot take these possibilities lightly
", specifying that his agency remained “
very focused
" about this question.
Russia had placed its deterrent forces, including nuclear weapons, on high alert soon after the start of the invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
Vladimir Putin also issued thinly veiled threats, hinting that he was ready to deploy these tactical nuclear weapons.
The master of the Kremlin promised a "
rapid and lightning
" response in the event of external intervention in the conflict.
William Burns also returned to recent information according to which the Americans had helped the Ukrainians to target and eliminate Russian generals on the ground.
"
It's irresponsible and dangerous when people talk too much when it comes to intelligence
," reacted the director of the CIA, adding that Ukraine has its own intelligence resources that should "
not be underestimated
".
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United States
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Vladimir Poutine
Intelligence