CIA director briefed Zelensky on US expectations for Russia's battlefield planning - CNN

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CNN —

CIA Director Bill Burns briefed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky successful Kyiv past week connected the US’ expectations for Russia’s battlefield readying successful the spring, according to a US authoritative and 2 Ukrainian sources acquainted with the meeting.

The concealed gathering comes arsenic US officials are intimately monitoring a imaginable Russian violative successful the coming months – and successful the midst of a fraught statement betwixt the US and its European allies implicit whether to nonstop progressively blase and long-range weaponry to Ukraine. Western defence leaders are scheduled to conscionable Friday to sermon further weapons shipments to Ukraine.

“Director Burns traveled to Kyiv wherever helium met with Ukrainian quality counterparts arsenic good arsenic President Zelensky and reinforced our continued enactment for Ukraine successful its defence against Russian aggression,” a US authoritative said successful a statement.

The Washington Post first reported the meeting.

Burns, a seasoned diplomat, has go a trusted interlocutor successful Kyiv, and past week’s travel was not his first. He made 2 known back-to-back trips to Kyiv successful October and November of past year, including 1 that took spot amid a spate of Russian rocket strikes crossed the country.

The wintertime months person seen brutal warring connected the beforehand lines, peculiarly astir the metropolis of Bakhmut, but nary large strategical gains by either side. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, speaking astatine the Davos World Economic Forum connected Wednesday, called it “not a stalemate but truly a grinding struggle astatine this stage.”

But some sides are thought to beryllium girding for imaginable offensives successful the outpouring and Kyiv has continued to property the United States and its Western allies for much enactment successful its combat to bushed backmost Russia. One Ukrainian root emphasized to CNN that Kyiv has go acrophobic astir the gait of weapons supplies to Ukraine – a increasing fearfulness arsenic Republicans, immoderate of whom are skeptical of assistance to Ukraine, person a bulk successful the US House of Representatives.

The Pentagon connected Thursday announced a $2.5 cardinal information bundle for Ukraine – the 2nd largest ever announced by the United States. The assistance featured for the archetypal clip Stryker combat vehicles and included much Bradley warring vehicles.

The Biden administration, though, remains successful a standoff with Germany implicit whether to nonstop tanks to Ukraine, with German officials having indicated successful caller days that they won’t nonstop their Leopard tanks to Ukraine, oregon let immoderate different state with the German-made tanks successful their inventory to bash so, unless the US besides agrees to nonstop its M1 Abrams tanks to Kyiv.

The Pentagon has said for months it has nary volition of doing truthful fixed the logistical costs of maintaining them.