CIA chief: Is a nuclear strike on Ukraine possible?

The head of the CIA, William Burns, warns of the danger – he admits the possibility of the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

He admits the possible use of tactical or small nuclear weapons by the Russian Federation in the event that the Russian army “despises to achieve a semblance of victory in the war against Ukraine,” writes air force.

At the same time, the head of US foreign intelligence emphasizes that he has no data on the deployment of troops or the movement of weapons that would indicate such plans, but warns that the CIA is closely watching for any signs of this.

William Burns speaks of the Biden administration’s seriousness about the threat of Russian use of nuclear weapons, “given the possible desperation of President Putin and the Russian leadership, given the military setbacks they faced” during the invasion of Ukraine.

The head of the CIA believes that less destructive nuclear weapons, which are designed for use on the battlefield, can most likely be used, and argues that Russia has a fairly large arsenal of such weapons. Burns called the actions of Russian troops in Ukraine, including in Bucha, “terrifying crimes.” He warned that the next phase of the war would be bloody. He also condemned the actions of the DPRK, calling Xi Jinping “a silent partner in Putin’s aggression.”

William Burns was US Ambassador to Russia from 2005-2008. He met with the Russian leadership more than other senior members of the administration of the current US President Joe Biden. The last time the head of the CIA was in Moscow was in November 2021, on an assignment from the American president: to warn Putin that American intelligence knew about plans for an invasion.

An Air Force source said that some Russian officials learned from the head of American foreign intelligence that their country could attack Ukraine. Burns said last Thursday that the November meeting made a deep impression on him:

Although at the time it did not appear that he had made a final decision to invade Ukraine, Putin pointedly leaned towards it, apparently worried that his chances of influencing [политическую] orientation of Ukraine are decreasing”.

According to Burns, Putin expected a quick surrender of the Ukrainian army and victory with minimal losses. He did not foresee tough sanctions from Europe and was confident that foreign exchange reserves would protect the Russian economy from sanctions. However, the calculations turned out to be untenable, says Burns: seven weeks after the start of the war, the will of the Ukrainian people remains unbroken, and Russia suffers enormous material and reputational losses. Burns also said that by revealing classified information about Russia’s plans, US intelligence has thwarted Putin’s attempts to cover up the truth about the aggression against Ukraine.

At this stage, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine indicates the absence of specific signs of the implementation of such a scenario by Russia. According to the press secretary of the military department Alexander Motuzyanik, nuclear weapons are “Russia’s last trump card,” writes euronews.

The Russian nuclear arsenal has 6,257 warheads. According to various sources, less than two thousand units are non-strategic or tactical nuclear weapons.

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