Putin: No evidence that Russian President is sick, says CIA

The agency’s director, William Burns, said there were no signs that rumors of Putin’s health problems were true.

William Burns, director of the CIA at the US intelligence agency, said there was no evidence that Russian President Vladimir Putin was in poor health.

There is growing speculation that Putin, who will turn 70 this year, may be facing health problems, possibly cancer. However, nothing has been confirmed.

But Burns said there is no evidence to show this. He even joked that Putin looked “very healthy”.

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“There are a lot of rumors about President Putin’s health, and he’s very healthy as far as we know,” Burns said at the Aspen Security Forum conference in Colorado. To the laughter of the audience, he added that this was not an official judgment of intelligence.

Burns, who serves as the Moscow ambassador, said he had known the Russian leader for more than two decades.

The CIA chief said Putin is “a great master of control, intimidation and revenge”, and these traits have only gotten worse over the past decade as his circle of advisers has shrunk.

“He believes that his destiny as Russia’s leader is to re-establish Russia as a great power. He believes the key to doing this is to re-create a sphere of influence around Russia, and he believes he cannot do this without controlling Ukraine.”

Burns traveled to Moscow in November to warn of the serious consequences of invading Ukraine, following information the United States had gathered about Russia’s plans. But the CIA director said he left “more miserable than when I came in”.

Burns said the Russian president’s plans were based on “highly flawed assumptions and some real illusions, particularly about Ukraine and the will to resist.”

“Putin really believes his rhetoric. I’ve heard him say privately for years that Ukraine is not a real country. Real countries are reacting. And so have Ukrainians.”

According to Burns, the United States estimates Russian losses in Ukraine at 15,000 dead and perhaps 45,000 wounded.

He said the current concentration of Russian forces in Donbas shows that the army has learned hard lessons.

Russia invaded Ukraine in February, claiming that citizens of Russian origin in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine were subjected to genocide and should be released.

Five months later he invaded the east and south of the country, but failed to capture his main goal, the capital, Kiev, and has since claimed that his main goal has always been the liberation of Donbas.

The US accuses the Russians of trying to annex parts of Ukraine and has announced plans to increase the supply of long-range weapons to the resistance.

On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov hinted that the US supply of long-range weapons could broaden Moscow’s military focus on Ukraine.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said Ukraine will receive four advanced Himars rocket systems to contain advancing Russian troops, bringing the total number to 16.

– Text originally published at https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/internacional-62251166

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