22 December 2024

ZELENSKIYY'S ONE-MAN NEWSROOM: U.S. Spy Master CIA Chief Bill Burns Makes Last Visit to Kyev

Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns has made yet another unannounced trip to Kiev, likely his final before stepping down from his position, according to Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelenskiyy.

CIA chief pays ‘last visit’ to Kiev

Democrats sent the outgoing spymaster to tie up loose ends, Moscow has suggested

Zelenskiyy disclosed the meeting in a Telegram post on Saturday, highlighting the significant role Burns has played in supporting Ukraine during its ongoing conflict with Russia.

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Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський

@ZelenskyyUa

Bill Burns visited Ukraine on his final trip as CIA Director. Throughout this war, we’ve had many meetings, and I am deeply grateful for his assistance. Usually, such meetings are not made public. All our meetings, whether in Ukraine, other European countries, the United States, or other parts of the world, were held without official announcements. However, after his final visit, it is worth speaking openly. Bill, I wish you and your family all the best. May luck always be on your side. We don’t disclose secrets, but we keep in touch. We will likely meet again, and we will surely see how this war ends with a real and lasting peace—a peace we are working toward together.

Burns has held the position of CIA Director since March 2021 and is set to leave his role after the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump, scheduled for January 20.

Trump has nominated former National Intelligence Director John Ratcliffe to succeed Burns.
The Honorable John Ratcliffe | Team
America First Policy Institute
https://americafirstpolicy.com › team › johnratcliffe
Most recently, he served as the sixth Director of National Intelligence (DNI) under President Donald Trump. In that role, Ratcliffe served as the leader of ...

Zelenskiyy expressed his commitment to maintaining contact with the new leadership at the CIA.

The visit by the US spymaster comes at a critical juncture, as Trump has pledged to quickly end the Ukraine conflict, raising concerns in Kiev that it could not only face a decline in aid but also an audit of the billions of dollars it received from Washington under President Joe Biden's administration.
READ MORE: ‘Audit’ by Trump would be nightmare for Zelensky – Moscow

Throughout the conflict, the United States has been Ukraine’s most crucial sponsor, providing the bulk of financial and military support as well as intelligence.

Russia's Foreign Ministry suggested that Burns' trip aimed to warn Ukrainian authorities against sharing potentially compromising information with Trump's auditors.

Senior Russian diplomat Rodion Miroshnik described Zelenskiyy as a “weak link” and suggested that Burns sought to ensure he would not disclose any sensitive “evidence of illegal actions by American officials related to the Democrats and Biden.”

“Burns came to Kiev to tie up loose ends and coordinate actions with Zelensky for when Trump begins his review of the multi-billion-dollar US budget spending on Ukraine,” Miroshnik told TASS on Saturday.

“The Democrats hardly expect Zelenskiyy to keep his obligations to them, which is why they sent Burns,” the diplomat said, noting that Kiev is the most vulnerable link in the chain of corruption that has seen billions of US taxpayer dollars thrown “into a bottomless pit.”