CIA Director Bill Burns visited Ukraine on Tuesday for talks with Ukrainian officials, his second visit to the country in two months, a US official said.
The meeting in Kiev, the Ukrainian capital, came a day after Burns met with a senior Russian intelligence official in Turkey to deliver a warning against the use of a nuclear device or any escalation of the conflict.
The US official who spoke about Burns’ visit spoke on condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the matter.
While in Kiev on Tuesday, Burns spoke with Ukrainian intelligence officials and President Volodymyr Zelensky.
During the visit, Russian rocket attacks hit Kiev and other Ukrainian cities.
Burns was inside the embassy of the United States at the time of the attacks, the US official said.
In addition to bolstering US support for Ukraine, Burns’ visit was intended to reassure Ukrainian officials that talks with Russian officials concerned the threat of a nuclear escalation.
The Biden administration has taken pains to emphasize that the United States is not seeking to negotiate an end to the war, and US officials have insisted they will not negotiate the war without the presence of Ukrainian officials.
Burns visited Ukraine immediately before the war to warn officials of impending invasion.
He traveled to Kiev again in October to meet with Zelensky.
Talks on Monday in Ankara, Turkey, were between Burns and Sergei Naryshkin, director of Russia’s foreign intelligence service.
The talks, held at the behest of the Americans, took place amid rising nuclear tensions.
In October, the United States collected intelligence on conversations between Russian generals about the use of nuclear weapons.
That intelligence, which circulated to the US government in mid-October, came at the same time Russia began accusing Ukraine, without evidence, of having plans to use a dirty bomb, an explosive device that spews radioactive material in one area.
Some US officials thought Russia’s dirty bomb allegations could be targeted create an excuse use a nuclear weapon.
US intelligence has been critical to Ukraine as it has sought to exploit weaknesses in Russian defenses and mount counterattacks.
However, US officials have repeatedly complained that Ukraine does not share information about his military plans, including his covert operations.
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Source: Clarin
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.