In the words of CIA director Bill Burns, “we cannot underestimate the risk that Russia, in desperation, will use nuclear weapons.” However, according to him, no evidence of such a move has been recorded so far.
Bill Burns commented on this issue at Georgia Tech in his first talk since he became head of the Central Intelligence Agency. According to him, the prevention of the Third World War is one of the main tasks of the agency.
Putin’s unpredictable despair
Given the potential desperation of President Vladimir Putin and the Russian leadership, and the military setbacks so far, none of us can underestimate the risk of a potential switch to tactical nuclear weapons, Burns acknowledged.
However, he said that, apart from the Kremlin’s rhetoric, there is no indication yet that Russia is preparing for such an attack. The head of the agency also indicated that the United States began collecting evidence pointing to Russian plans for a new invasion of Ukraine last fall. He also mentioned that when he warned Vladimir Putin about the consequences of the war during a November visit to Moscow, he was “troubled by what he heard.”
Is Putin sure of victory?
“While he did not appear to have made an irreversible decision to invade Ukraine, Putin was defiantly inclined to do so, apparently convinced that his chance to influence the orientation of Ukraine was running out,” Bill Burns said. He added that the leader of the regime is convinced that he will be able to win in the winter at minimal cost.
The CIA director said that, despite the threat from Russia, China is the main geopolitical challenge for America, and the most important field of competition with Beijing is technology. He also assessed that he considers climate change to be the biggest “existential” threat to the country and society.
“Climate change affects everything from drought to migration, undermining the stability of governments and societies and economic stability,” said Bill Burns.