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Updated July 21st, 2022 at 13:33 IST

Putin is 'entirely too healthy' but 'professionally trained to be cynic', avers CIA chief

CIA chief William Burns levelled multiple remarks against Moscow and even weighed in on Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin’s health and the Russia-Ukraine war.

Reported by: Aanchal Nigam
Putin
Image: AP | Image:self
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Amid already sour Russia-US ties, CIA chief William Burns levelled multiple remarks against Moscow and even weighed in on Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin’s health and the Russia-Ukraine war. While attending the Aspen Security Forum on Wednesday, the CIA chief said that Putin is “professionally trained to be a cynic” and his suspicion and pessimism “have hardened as his grip on power has tightened and his circle of advisors has narrowed”. 

Further, Burns dismissed the reports stating that Putin is undergoing health complications and said that the Kremlin leader is well aware of the ongoing war in Ukraine which he started in late February. Rumours of Putin’s poor health have significantly shot up ever since the Russia-Ukraine war began. The Russian President said that such remarks were “greatly exaggerated”. Burns also shot down the claims and said that the Kremlin leader is “too healthy”.

CIA chief said, “There are lots of rumours about President Putin's health, but as far as we can tell, he's entirely too healthy”.

Putin believes 'Ukraine is not a real country': Burns

CIA chief William Burns met Vladimir Putin in November, which was also the last time any US official sat for talks with the Kremlin leader. Recalling the meeting, Burns said that “Putin made no effort to deny the planning” of war in Ukraine. He said, “Putin really does believe his rhetoric that Ukraine is not a real country. He believes that it is his entitlement, Russia’s entitlement to dominate Ukraine”. 

Burns also stated that after monitoring the Russian President’s strategies for more than two decades, the Kremlin leader is hard to predict. According to the CIA chief, Putin’s “appetite for risk has grown” in the run-up to the Ukraine war. Burns said that the Russian President has presently kept a small circle but in the past, Putin used to have advisors that challenged him. But, "There's virtually none of that now," Burns said.

Notably, experts had previously revealed to Insider that Putin’s purging of his inner circle throughout the Russia-Ukraine war has largely backfired, created misinformation and even left an inflated sense of confidence.

CIA chief downplays Putin's Iran visit

Moreover, the CIA chief downplayed the relevance of Putin’s recent visit to Iran, which was also the first time the Russian President left the country since the war began. 

"I think beneath the images that we all saw, the reality is that Russians and Iranians need each other right now," Burns said. "Both federally sanctioned countries, both looking to break out of political isolation as well — but if they need each other, they don't really trust each other, in the sense that they're energy rivals and historical competitors."  With regards to cooperation between Russia and Iran in the Moscow-Kyiv war, Burns said, “There are limits, I think, to the ways in which they're going to be able to help one another right now”.

Image: AP

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Published July 21st, 2022 at 13:33 IST

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