War

CIA Director: Cutting off aid to Ukraine would be a mistake of historic proportions

Continued military and financial support for Ukraine is key to the success of the US strategy towards Russia. This was written by CIA Director William Burns in his article on Foreign Affairs, according to

Burns believes that with the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the post-Cold War era ended. However, this invasion turned out to be a failure for Russia and its leader Putin.

“Putin’s war has already become a failure for Russia on many levels. His original goal of capturing Kyiv and subjugating Ukraine has proved to be foolish and illusory. His army has suffered enormous damage. At least 315,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded, two-thirds of Russia’s pre-war tanks have been destroyed, and Putin’s decades-long vaunted military modernisation programme has been scuttled. All of this is a direct result of the valour and skill of Ukrainian soldiers, backed by Western support,”

– the CIA chief writes.

According to Burns, Putin is now betting that Ukraine’s partners will “get tired” of helping Ukraine. Russia, meanwhile, is restoring military production, arranging for critical components from China, as well as weapons and ammunition from Iran and North Korea.

“The key to success lies in maintaining Western aid to Ukraine. At less than five per cent of the US defence budget, it is a relatively modest investment with significant geopolitical gains for the United States and notable returns for US industry. Maintaining the flow of arms will make Ukraine’s position stronger if there is an opportunity for serious negotiations. This is a chance to secure a long-term win for Ukraine and a strategic loss for Russia. Ukraine would be able to protect its sovereignty and rebuild, while Russia would be left to face the consequences of Putin’s stupidity. For the United States to withdraw from the conflict at this crucial moment and stop supporting Ukraine would be a self-inflicted wound of historic proportions,”

– burns said.

“A festival of security deals”

However, there is still no decision to unblock aid to Ukraine in the US Congress. Against the backdrop of this disappointing news, the “Festival of Security Agreements with Ukraine” is gaining momentum, with Western countries guaranteeing our security under bilateral agreements such as the Budapest Memorandum. The next bilateral security agreement Ukraine will sign after the agreement with the UK may be with Canada. In addition, Ukraine is negotiating relevant agreements with five other countries: The United States, France, Germany, Poland, and Italy. In particular, the United States Ambassador to Ukraine, Bridget Brink, said that two rounds of talks had already taken place between Ukraine and the United States on the content and content of the relevant agreement with the US government. And French President Macron said that he would personally come to Kyiv to finalise the security agreement between Ukraine and France.

Ukraine is desperately trying to enlist the support of the world. In particular, the following 5 points of the Ukrainian Peace Formula were presented in Davos. At the previous consultations in Malta, the first five points of the Peace Formula were considered, which included nuclear and food security, the release of prisoners, and the restoration of territorial integrity and sovereignty. In Davos, an additional five points were presented: the withdrawal of Russian troops and the cessation of hostilities, the restoration of justice, environmental security, the prevention of escalation and recurrence of war, and the issue of confirming the end of the war.