‘Russian President Vladimir Putin is not a "sentimentalist" when it comes to the massive loss of life his troops are facing in Ukraine and believes he can exhaust Ukraine and the West and ultimately win the war, CIA Director Bill Burns said Sunday.
Burns, speaking on CBS "Face the Nation," said the U.S. must provide full material and intelligence support in coming months to "puncture that hubris on Putin's part" and regain momentum on the battlefield.
He said Putin is convinced he "can't afford to lose" so he will attempt to drag out the war.
"Putin's view of Americans, of us, has been that we have attention deficit disorder, and we'll move on to some other issue eventually," he said. "So instead of looking for ways to either back down or find a famous off ramp, you know, what Putin has done is double down," Burns said.’
Putin is also holding out for a Republican administration come 2025 that will withdraw support from Ukraine and abandon America’s European allies allowing for a Russian victory.
Burns, speaking on CBS "Face the Nation," said the U.S. must provide full material and intelligence support in coming months to "puncture that hubris on Putin's part" and regain momentum on the battlefield.
He said Putin is convinced he "can't afford to lose" so he will attempt to drag out the war.
"Putin's view of Americans, of us, has been that we have attention deficit disorder, and we'll move on to some other issue eventually," he said. "So instead of looking for ways to either back down or find a famous off ramp, you know, what Putin has done is double down," Burns said.’
Putin is also holding out for a Republican administration come 2025 that will withdraw support from Ukraine and abandon America’s European allies allowing for a Russian victory.