CIA director says he warned Russian counterpart against using nuclear weapons in Ukraine

Director of nan Central Intelligence Agency William Burns said successful an question and reply aired Sunday that he warned Russia's spy main against utilizing a atomic limb successful Ukraine, while nan Kremlin besides reportedly is helping Iran bolster its weapons program. 

"The speech that I had pinch Sergei Naryshkin, nan caput of Russia's outer intelligence service, was beautiful dispiriting," Burns said successful an question and reply aired connected CBS' "Face The Nation." "My extremity was not to talk astir negotiations, that's thing that Ukrainians are going to request to return up pinch nan Russians erstwhile they spot fit."

"It was much than thing else, what nan President asked maine to do, which was to make clear to Naryshkin and done him to President Putin, nan superior consequences should Russia ever take to usage a atomic limb of immoderate benignant arsenic well," he said. "And I deliberation Naryshkin understood nan seriousness of that rumor and I deliberation President Putin has understood it arsenic well. I deliberation it's besides been very valuable that nan Chinese leadership, that Prime Minister Modi successful India person besides made clear their guidance to immoderate usage of atomic weapons."

CBS big Margaret Brennan asked, "And you made clear to him that a atomic limb of immoderate kind, a tactical nuke connected nan battlefield, would beryllium treated by nan United States pinch nan utmost severity?"

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CIA Director William Burns said he warned Russia' spy main against utilizing atomic weapons successful Ukraine.  (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

"Absolutely, absolutely. And we've continued to make that very clear. And I deliberation that nonstop connection is going to proceed to beryllium important, arsenic are nan messages that travel from different world leaders, whether it's President Xi aliases anyone else," nan CIA head responded. 

"There was a very defiant cognition connected nan portion of Mr. Naryshkin arsenic well, a consciousness of cockiness and hubris," he added of his talks pinch Naryshkin. "You know, a sense, I think, reflecting Putin's ain view, his ain belief coming that he tin make clip activity for him, that he believes he tin grind down nan Ukrainians that he tin deterioration down our European allies, that governmental fatigue will yet group in. And successful my experience, Putin's position of Americans, of us, has been that we person attraction shortage disorder, and we'll move connected to immoderate different rumor eventually."

"And truthful Putin, successful galore ways, I think, believes coming that he cannot triumph for a while, but he can't spend to lose. I mean, that's his conviction. So alternatively of looking for ways to either backmost down aliases find a celebrated off-ramp, you know, what Putin has done is double down. At each lawsuit notwithstanding, you know, what is by immoderate nonsubjective measurement a strategical nonaccomplishment truthful acold for Russia," he said.

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Russian Foreign Intelligence Service SVR RF Chief Sergey Naryshkin reportedly held a very "defiant" cognition successful talks pinch CIA Director William Burns.  (Contributor/Getty Images)

Asked if Beijing benefits from having nan West distracted and progressive successful a prolonged conflict successful Europe, Burns said, "there's nary overseas leader who's watched much cautiously Vladimir Putin's acquisition successful Ukraine, nan improvement of nan war, than Xi Jinping has." 

"And I deliberation successful galore ways, he's been unsettled and sobered by what he's seen. I deliberation he was amazed by nan very mediocre subject capacity of nan Russians. I deliberation amazed besides by nan grade of Western solidarity and support of Ukraine," he added. 

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CIA head William Burns said Russian President Vladimir Putin does not see losing nan warfare successful Ukraine an option.  (ANATOLII STEPANOV/AFP via Getty Images)

While Burns expressed "serious concern" complete China considering sending lethal equipment to Russia, nan CIA head besides said astir nan Russian and Iranian partnership. He said Iranians person already provided hundreds of equipped drones to nan Russians arsenic good arsenic ammunition for artillery and for tanks. In return, Russia is proposing to thief nan Iranians pinch their rocket programme and besides astatine slightest considering nan anticipation of providing combatant craft to Iran – thing Burns said creates added consequence for Ukrainians and U.S. partners successful nan Middle East. 

"To nan champion of our knowledge, we don't judge that nan Supreme Leader successful Iran has yet made a determination to resume nan weaponization programme that we judge that they suspended aliases stopped astatine nan extremity of 2003. But nan different 2 legs of nan stool, meaning enrichment programs, they've evidently precocious very far, you know, complete nan past mates of years," he said.

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"They've precocious very acold to nan constituent wherever it would only beryllium a matter of weeks earlier they tin enrich to 90 percent, if they chose to transverse that line," Burns told Brennan. "And besides successful position of their rocket systems, their expertise to present a atomic weapon, erstwhile they developed it, has besides been advancing arsenic well. So nan reply to your mobility is no, we don't spot grounds that they made a determination to resume that weaponization program. But nan different dimensions of this challenge, I think, are increasing astatine a worrisome gait too."