Washington: A US official confirmed on Friday that CIA Director William Burns recently visited Ukraine where he met with intelligence colleagues and President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The trip—which was unreported at the time—occurs as Kyiv's brigades pursue a counteroffensive against Russian forces in their country's east and south, which was launched earlier this month after weeks of buildup.
Burns reiterated during his visit "the US commitment to sharing intelligence to help Ukraine defend against Russian aggression," the US official said.
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The Washington Post, which broke the news of the visit, claims that Ukrainian officials discussed their plans to reclaim Russian-occupied territory and start ceasefire talks by the end of the year.
Burns "travelled to Ukraine as he has done regularly since the beginning of Russia's recent aggression more than a year ago," the US official stated. According to The Post, the visit took place in June.
According to the official, the journey took place before Yevgeny Prigozhin, the commander of the Wagner private military company, launched a 24-hour uprising.
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The mutiny, which many believed to be the biggest challenge to Kremlin authority in decades, "was not a topic of discussion," the official continued.
The United States has made an effort to make it clear to Russia that it had no involvement in the uprising. According to major US media on Friday, Burns called Sergei Naryshkin, the head of Russia's SVR foreign intelligence service, after the uprising to make this point.
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According to Valery Zaluzhny, the chief of the Ukrainian military, the lack of adequate firepower, such as modern fighter jets and artillery ammunition, is impeding his nation's counteroffensive plans.
The US announced a new $500 million arms package on Tuesday, including armoured vehicles, precision munitions, and mine-clearing gear, to support the counteroffensive