CIA Director William Burns recently traveled to Ukraine where he met with President Volodymyr Zelensky, US officials confirmed to AFP on Friday.
The visit – unreported at the time – came as Ukrainian forces launched a counter-offensive in the east and south of the country against Russian forces earlier this month.
According to The Washington Post, which reported on the visit, Ukrainian authorities shared plans to regain Russian-held territory and begin ceasefire negotiations by the end of the year. The Washington Post reported that the visit took place in June.
The trip took place before the uprising of the leader of Wagner’s private military company, Yevgeny Prigozhin, according to the official.
The mutiny, widely seen as the biggest threat to Kremlin authority in decades, “was not a topic of discussion”.
The United States tried to make it clear that it was not involved in the uprising, following news that William Burns called Sergei Naryshkin, Director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service.
The Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valery Zaluzhny, said his country’s plans for a counter-offensive are hampered by a lack of adequate weapons.
On Tuesday, the United States announced a new weapons package worth 458 million euros to support the counteroffensive.
Source: DN
