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Zelensky meets with CIA director in Kyiv

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Zelensky meets with CIA director in Kyiv
Bill Burns visited Ukraine on his final trip as CIA Director, President Volodymyr Zelensky said ina social media post on X on Dec. 21. (Volodymyr Zelensky/X)

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Dec. 21 that he met with CIA Director William Burns in Ukraine, marking a rare public acknowledgment of their discussions during Russia’s full-scale invasion.

The United States has been Ukraine's key ally, providing substantial financial and military aid since the all-out war began nearly three years ago. Washington is also reported to have consistently shared military intelligence to bolster Ukraine's defense.

"Bill Burns visited Ukraine on his final trip as CIA Director. Throughout this war, we’ve had many meetings, and I am deeply grateful for his assistance," Zelensky wrote on X (formerly Twitter), sharing a photo of himself and Burns shaking hands in front of Ukraine's state crest.

Zelensky noted that he and Burns had met multiple times throughout the war, but such encounters were typically kept confidential. "We don’t disclose secrets, but we keep in touch. We will likely meet again, and we will surely see how this war ends with a real and lasting peace—a peace we are working toward together," Zelensky said.

Burns is set to step down from his role as CIA chief as U.S. President-elect Donald Trump prepares to appoint a successor.

The last publicly confirmed meeting between Zelensky and Burns took place in mid-2023 when U.S. officials disclosed in July that Burns had recently made a secret visit to Ukraine.

While Zelensky did not specify the exact date of their final meeting, he emphasized its significance as Burns prepares to leave his post just one month before President-elect Donald Trump assumes office.

Trump has pledged to end the war swiftly, raising concerns that Kyiv may face pressure to accept peace terms that favor Moscow.

Trump plans to continue US military aid to Ukraine after inauguration, FT reports
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump plans to continue military support for Ukraine, the Financial Times reported on Dec. 20, citing undisclosed sources.
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Olena Goncharova

Head of North America desk

Olena Goncharova is the Head of North America desk at The Kyiv Independent, where she has previously worked as a development manager and Canadian correspondent. She first joined the Kyiv Post, Ukraine's oldest English-language newspaper, as a staff writer in January 2012 and became the newspaper’s Canadian correspondent in June 2018. She is based in Edmonton, Alberta. Olena has a master’s degree in publishing and editing from the Institute of Journalism in Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv. Olena was a 2016 Alfred Friendly Press Partners fellow who worked for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for six months. The program is administered by the University of Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia.

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