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CIA director: 'Russians not serious about a real negotiation'

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CIA director Bill Burns told PBS's Judy Woodruff in an interview on Dec. 16 that the agency does not currently see the seriousness on the part of the Russians required to end the war.

“It's not our assessment that the Russians are serious at this point about a real negotiation,” Burns said.

Burns also said that he believes Russia's attacks against Ukraine's critical infrastructure will continue but that the agency has observed a "reduced tempo in the fighting" between Ukraine and Russia's military as winter sets in.

"But there's nothing at all reduced about the tempo of Putin's increasingly brutal attacks against Ukrainian civilians and Ukrainian civilian infrastructure," Burns added.

Russia launched 76 missiles against Ukraine on Dec. 16, 60 of which were shot down by Ukrainian air defense. It was the 7th mass missile strike aimed at Ukraine's energy infrastructure since Oct. 10.

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The Kyiv Independent news desk

We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.

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