CIA boss judges Ukraine war: Putin stews in combination “of resentment, ambition and insecurity”
Created: 05/09/2022, 04:50
Russian President Vladimir Putin giving a speech (archive image) © Alexey Danichev/SPUTNIK/AFP
According to the CIA chief, Putin will continue to press ahead with the Ukraine war instead of slowing down.
This could become clear in Russia on May 9th.
Washington, DC - Assessing Vladimir Putin is particularly difficult in the days of the Ukraine war.
What is he up to?
What drives him?
Questions that experts and observers keep asking themselves.
The US secret service CIA is once again at least making an assessment: The Russian President assumes that he cannot afford to lose the war in Ukraine.
Therefore, Putin is currently intensifying military action.
But there are no signs that the Kremlin boss is planning to use tactical nuclear weapons, CIA Director William Burns said on Saturday (May 7) at an event hosted by the
Financial Times
.
Putin 'in a state of mind where he doesn't think he can afford to lose'
Despite the failure of Russian forces to take Kyiv and their difficulty in advancing along the main front lines in south-eastern Donbass, Putin still believes his troops can defeat the Ukrainian army, Burns said.
Putin's belief in the Russian military's ability to wear down the Ukrainian resistance is unlikely to have been shaken.
"I think he's in a state of mind where he doesn't think he can afford to lose," Burns said.
For years, Putin has been simmering in a highly explosive combination of "resentment, ambition and insecurity" because of Ukraine.
At the moment, the Kremlin boss is apparently still “convinced that he can still make progress by intensifying the funds”.
Video: Summary of the latest news from the Ukraine war
Putin during the Ukraine war: NATO sends warning about nuclear weapons
However, the US and other Western intelligence services have no indication that Moscow is prepared to use tactical nuclear weapons against Ukraine or against its supporters, the CIA chief said.
NATO boss Jens Stoltenberg recently warned Russia against using nuclear weapons during the Ukraine conflict.
"Our message is clear: if nuclear weapons were used, there would only be losers on all sides," he told
Welt am Sonntag
.
"A nuclear war cannot be won and should never be fought, including Russia."
Putin's speech at the Victory Day military parade on May 9 is eagerly awaited.
The dress rehearsal already showed how Russia wants to present itself.
(AFP/cibo)
