As the war in the Ukraine rages on, CIA Director William Burns is not holding back on his feelings toward Russia.
The director spoke at Rice University on Tuesday on a variety of topics, with much to say about Vladimir Putin and the violence he has waged in Eastern Europe.
Burns called Russia a 'declining power,' and says Putin's feeling of 'destiny' to restore the great Soviet Russia is fueled by his arrogance.
"Over the last few years especially...as his grip on power has tightened, as his circle of advisors has narrowed...I think that sense of destiny, and his own appetite for risk, has grown," says Burns. "You have to remember in that circle of advisors...it has been composed of sycophants who feed the narcissist in Putin, and who realized a long time ago, it is not career enhancing to challenge his judgement."
Upon visiting Putin in late 2021, Burns says when he left Moscow, the Russian President's mind was made up.
"He saw the start of 2022 as an opening. He really believed the Ukraine was a weak and divided country, and that the West was distracted...and he believed he had modernized the Russian military to the point where they could accomplish a quick and decisive victory, with very little cost," says Burns. "I think he is as wrong in those assumptions as he was when the war started."
Burns was also asked how it all ends for Putin's Russia.
"It will be Ukrainian progress on the battlefield...that will better shape better prospects for serious negotiation. That does not come without risk of escalation...but I think that is the circumstance...where he realizes, not only can he not advance further into Ukraine, but, as every month goes by, he risks losing all he has already illegally seized," Burns says.
He added that another factor to Russia's decline is their relationship with China, saying Russia runs risk of becoming an economic colony of China.
Photo: AFP