The head of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), William Burns, said that the West should not be afraid of Russian threats to use nuclear weapons and announced new proposals for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip in the next few days, writes the Guardian, reports Tanjug.
He said this on Saturday, where, accompanied by the head of British MI6 Richard Moore, he attended an event organized by the Financial Times in London.
Answering the question of whether Washington and other Western capitals would be more concerned about the escalation of the war if Ukraine is allowed to use long-range missiles inside Russian territory, Burns pointed out that the risk of escalation should not be taken lightly, but that there is no reason to fear.
"Putin is a bully. He will continue to rattle the weapon, from time to time. We can't afford to be intimidated by that rattle," the CIA chief said.
He said that the United States of America has provided enormous support to Ukraine and that he is sure that the president will consider other ways in which they can support them.
Burns said the US ignored Russian threats to use nuclear bombs in the fall of 2022, when Russian forces were forced to leave Kherson, but a front line was formed soon after, the Guardian reports.
He said then US President Joe Biden sent him to deliver a direct warning of the consequences of that escalation to Sergei Naryshkin, the head of Russia's foreign intelligence service, at a meeting in Turkey in November 2022.
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