Monday, 23 Jun 2025
America Age
  • Trending
  • World
  • Politics
  • Opinion
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Real Estate
    • Money
    • Crypto & NFTs
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
    • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Fashion / Beauty
    • Art & Books
    • Culture
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
Font ResizerAa
America AgeAmerica Age
Search
  • Trending
  • World
  • Politics
  • Opinion
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Real Estate
    • Money
    • Crypto & NFTs
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
    • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Fashion / Beauty
    • Art & Books
    • Culture
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
© 2024 America Age. All Rights Reserved.
America Age > Blog > World > Putin thinks he’ll break America’s will in Ukraine, but he’s wrong, says the CIA director
World

Putin thinks he’ll break America’s will in Ukraine, but he’s wrong, says the CIA director

Enspirers | Editorial Board
Share
Putin thinks he’ll break America’s will in Ukraine, but he’s wrong, says the CIA director
SHARE

Vladimir Putin believes the Russian military’s scaled-down attrition strategy in Ukraine will grind down Ukrainian forces and break the will of the U.S.-led alliance — but he is wrong, CIA Director William Burns said Wednesday at the Aspen Security Forum.

“Putin’s view of Americans is that we always suffer from attention deficit disorder, and we’ll get distracted by something else,” Burns said during a live-streamed interview with Andrea Mitchell of NBC News. “My own strong view is that Putin was wrong in his assumptions about breaking the alliance and breaking Ukrainian will before the war began, and I think he is just as wrong now.”

After a disastrous start to the war based on a series of flawed assumptions, Russia has settled into its traditional method of war in Ukraine’s eastern region, Burns said — directing massive artillery and air strikes against cities, without regard to civilian casualties. 

July 20, 202202:31

Russia has had some success, he said, advancing six to 10 miles across a narrow strip of land in the Donbas region. But the gains have come at great cost. The U.S. estimates that as many as 15,000 Russian soldiers have been killed and three times as many wounded, he said. He said Ukrainian casualties are believed to be nearly as high.

“In one of my recent conversations with one of my Ukrainian counterparts, he pointed out that the dumb Russians were all dead,” Burns said. “And I think what he meant by that [is]…the Russians have adapted…Putin has shrunk his objectives.”

But he said Ukrainians should be able to continue resisting, “so long as we continue to support them with the weaponry and the munitions that they have used so effectively.”

Putin was wrong in thinking he could fracture the NATO alliance, Burns said — instead, NATO is welcoming Finland and Sweden and has strengthened its troop deployments closer to Russian borders.

June 29, 202201:19

“He thought he could establish his dominance over Ukraine very quickly,” Burns said. “It’s hard not to see this as a strategic failure at this point for Putin and Russia.” 

Burns said the CIA is aware of no evidence that Putin is debilitated mentally or physically.

“There are lots of rumors about President Putin’s health and as far as we can tell, he’s entirely too healthy.”

Lessons for China

Burns offered a fairly detailed assessment of what the CIA believes China has learned from Russia’s Ukraine adventure.

He said he wouldn’t underestimate Chinese President Xi Jinping’s determination to assert China’s control over Taiwan, and he said he believes “he’s determined to ensure that his military has the capability to undertake such an action should he decide to move in that direction.”

He said Russia’s experience in Ukraine probably will not influence the timing of China’s ambitions regarding Taiwan, but may change how it decides to approach them. 

He added, “I think the Chinese leadership is trying to study the lessons of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and what it tells them…If there’s one lesson I think they may be drawing from Putin’s experience in Ukraine it’s you don’t achieve quick, decisive victories with underwhelming force.”

May 13, 202205:53

The idea that 190,000 Russian troops were going to effectively occupy and control 47 million defiant Ukrainians never made any sense, Burns said.

“So I suspect the lesson that the Chinese leadership and military are drawing is that you’ve got to amass overwhelming force. If you’re going to contemplate that in the future. You’ve got to control the information space. You’ve got to do everything you can to shore up your economy against the potential for sanctions even though the Chinese economy is far stronger and more entangled with economies around the world and Russia’s ever was.

“And you’ve got to do everything you can to try to drive wedges across the Indo Pacific between the United States and its allies.”

On Iran, Burns said the U.S. does not believe Iran has resumed any effort to build a nuclear weapon, but he said Iran’s work on advance centrifuges means its breakout time—the time it would need to build a bomb — has become very short.

“The trend lines are quite troubling,” he said.

Ken Dilanian is the intelligence and national security correspondent for NBC News, based in Washington.

Share This Article
Twitter Email Copy Link Print
Previous Article Kenya elections 2022: Why the ethnic factor may be losing its power Kenya elections 2022: Why the ethnic factor may be losing its power
Next Article CIA Director: Putin ‘too healthy’ CIA Director: Putin ‘too healthy’

Your Trusted Source for Accurate and Timely Updates!

Our commitment to accuracy, impartiality, and delivering breaking news as it happens has earned us the trust of a vast audience. Stay ahead with real-time updates on the latest events, trends.
FacebookLike
TwitterFollow
InstagramFollow
LinkedInFollow
MediumFollow
QuoraFollow
- Advertisement -
Ad image

Popular Posts

Ukraine Latest: UN Halts Grain Ships After Russia Suspends Deal

(Bloomberg) -- The United Nations called a halt to grain ships moving through Ukraine’s crop-export…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

Heard faces high legal hurdles seeking to reverse Depp win

FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) — The Johnny Depp-Amber Heard libel trial, which generated intense interest…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

Russian, Ukrainian militaries set to discuss grain exports

ISTANBUL (AP) — Military officials from Russia and Ukraine were set to hold their governments'…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

G-20 Latest: Australia Says Xi Meeting to Help Normalize Ties

(Bloomberg) -- Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hailed a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

You Might Also Like

Information reside: Wong says Australian authorities helps US strikes on Iran’s nuclear services however warns in opposition to all-out conflict
World

Information reside: Wong says Australian authorities helps US strikes on Iran’s nuclear services however warns in opposition to all-out conflict

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
Iran says US ‘must receive a response’ after Trump’s strikes on nuclear websites
World

Iran says US ‘must receive a response’ after Trump’s strikes on nuclear websites

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
US request to UK over Iran would have raised authorized questions, ex-adviser says
World

US request to UK over Iran would have raised authorized questions, ex-adviser says

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
Campaigners look to Historic England to save lots of Black British website Bridge Park in London
World

Campaigners look to Historic England to save lots of Black British website Bridge Park in London

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
America Age
Facebook Twitter Youtube

About US


America Age: Your instant connection to breaking stories and live updates. Stay informed with our real-time coverage across politics, tech, entertainment, and more. Your reliable source for 24/7 news.

Company
  • About Us
  • Newsroom Policies & Standards
  • Diversity & Inclusion
  • Careers
  • Media & Community Relations
  • WP Creative Group
  • Accessibility Statement
Contact Us
  • Contact Us
  • Contact Customer Care
  • Advertise
  • Licensing & Syndication
  • Request a Correction
  • Contact the Newsroom
  • Send a News Tip
  • Report a Vulnerability
Terms of Use
  • Digital Products Terms of Sale
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Settings
  • Submissions & Discussion Policy
  • RSS Terms of Service
  • Ad Choices
© 2024 America Age. All Rights Reserved.
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?