All eyes are on the Russian invasion of Ukraine at the moment and the next steps of Russian President Vladimir Putin and CIA director and former Moscow ambassador William Burns has decided to weigh in with his opinion on the matter.
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Essentially, it seems as though the CIA are predicting that Putin will eventually pull out of the conflict, but not before an escalation as he desperately tries to succeed and not lose political face. Here’s what Burns had to say:
I think Putin is angry and frustrated right now. He’s likely to double down and try to grind down the Ukrainian military with no regard for civilian casualties.
But the challenge that he faces – and this is the biggest question that’s hung over our analysis of his planning for months now … he has no sustainable political endgame in the face of what is going to continue to be fierce resistance from Ukrainians.
So I think that’s what his calculus has been. And I think that’s the reality of what he faces today.
Avril Haines – the director of national intelligence – expanded on this:
We assess Putin feels aggrieved the West does not give him proper deference and perceives this as a war he cannot afford to lose.
But what he might be willing to accept as a victory may change over time, given the significant costs he is incurring.
I suppose that’s sort of good in that they see an end to the invasion with Putin eventually backing down, but not in the fact that he’s going to escalate it for an undefined period of time beforehand. Looks like it’s going to get a hell of a lot worse before it gets better.
For more of the same, check out one of the most badass Ukrainian troops of all time. Legend.
