Next six months will be critical in Ukraine war: CIA chief

CIA Director William Burns has said that the next six months will be critical in the war in Ukraine as Russian President Vladimir Putin plans a new offensive to regain the initiative, according to reports.

William Burns

EPA/MICHAEL REYNOLDS

"Putin, I think, is betting right now that he can make time work for him," Burns said on Thursday, as quoted by US broadcaster CBS News.

"The key is going to be on the battlefield in the next six months, it seems to us," he added.

"As every month goes by," Putin "runs a greater and greater risk of losing the territory that he's illegally seized from Ukraine so far," Burns also said.

"So this next period, I think, is going to be absolutely crucial," he predicted, as quoted on the cbsnews.com website.

CIA Director William Burns said the next six months would be "critical" in the war in Ukraine with Russian President Vladimir Putin betting that waning Western interest and "political fatigue" could afford his military a new chance on the battlefield. https://t.co/Dp6BKbkbKe

— CBS News (@CBSNews) February 3, 2023

Burns also said that Western intelligence showed Moscow was not interested in peace talks, despite occasional reports to the contrary, CBS News reported.

Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov warned this week that Russia was mobilising hundreds of thousands of new troops and planning a major new offensive around the one-year anniversary of its invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

Friday is day 345 of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

(gs)

Source: PAP, ukrinform.net, cbsnews.com