LONDON (AP) 鈥 The heads of the British and American foreign intelligence agencies said Saturday that Ukraine鈥檚 surprise incursion into Russia is a significant achievement that could change the narrative of the grinding 2 1/2-year war, as they urged Kyiv's allies not to be held back by Russian threats of escalation.
Richard Moore, the head of MI6, said Kyiv鈥檚 surprise August offensive to seize territory in Russia鈥檚 Kursk region was 鈥渢ypically audacious and bold on the part of the Ukrainians, to try and change the game.鈥 He said the offensive 鈥 which Ukraine said has captured about 1,300 square kilometers (500 square miles) of Russian territory 鈥 had 鈥渂rought the war home to ordinary Russians.鈥
Speaking alongside Moore at an unprecedented joint public event in London, CIA Director William Burns said the offensive was a 鈥渟ignificant tactical achievement鈥 that had exposed vulnerabilities in the Russian military.
It has yet to be seen whether Ukraine can turn the gains into a long-term advantage. So far the offensive has not drawn Russian President Vladimir Putin鈥檚 focus away from eastern Ukraine, where his forces are closing in on the strategically situated .
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has to let Kyiv use Western-supplied missiles to strike deep inside Russia and hit sites from which Moscow launches aerial attacks. While some countries, including Britain, are thought to tacitly support the idea, others including Germany and the U.S. are reluctant.
U.S. President Joe Biden has allowed Ukraine to fire U.S.-provided missiles into Russia in self-defense, but the distance has been largely limited to cross-border targets deemed a direct threat, out of concerns about further escalating the conflict.
Burns said the West should be 鈥渕indful鈥 of the escalation risk but not be 鈥渦nnecessarily intimidated鈥 by Russian saber-rattling, revealing that there was a moment in late 2022 when there was a 鈥済enuine risk of the use of tactical nuclear weapons鈥 by Moscow.
He also warned of the growing and 鈥渢roubling鈥 defense relationship between Russia, China, Iran and North Korea that he said threatens both Ukraine and Western allies in the Middle East. North Korea has sent ammunition and missiles to Russia to use against Ukraine, while Iran supplies Moscow with attack drones.
Burns said the CIA had yet to see evidence of China sending weapons to Russia, 鈥渂ut we see lot of things short of that.鈥 And he warned Iran against supplying ballistic missiles to Moscow, saying 鈥渋t would be a dramatic escalation鈥 of the relationship.
He did not say whether such missiles had already been sent. But two people familiar with the matter said the United States has told allies that it believes They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a matter that has not been publicly disclosed.
Ahead of their joint appearance at the FT Weekend Festival at London鈥檚 Kenwood House, the two spymasters wrote an opinion piece for the Financial Times, calling for a and saying their agencies had 鈥渆xploited our intelligence channels to push hard for restraint and de-escalation.鈥
Burns has been heavily involved in efforts to broker an end to the fighting, traveling to Egypt in August for and at least a temporary halt to the conflict.
So far there has been no agreement, though United States officials insist a deal is close. Biden said recently that 鈥渏ust a couple more issues鈥 remain unresolved. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, has said
鈥淚 cannot tell you how close we are right now,鈥 Burns told the London audience. He said negotiators are working on new, detailed proposals that would be presented within several days.
Burns said that while 90% of the text has been agreed between the warring sides, 鈥渢he last 10% is the last 10% for a reason, because it鈥檚 the hardest part to do.鈥
Burns said ending the conflict would require 鈥渟ome hard choices and some difficult compromises鈥 from both Israel and Hamas.
The U.S. and the United Kingdom are both staunch allies of Israel, though London diverged from Washington on Monday by to Israel because of the risk they could be used to break international law.
The intelligence chiefs' speech came ahead of a busy week of trans-Atlantic diplomacy that includes between Biden and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The White House said the talks would touch on Ukraine, Gaza and other issues.
In another sign of the intensification of the 鈥渟pecial relationship,鈥 U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will also travel to London early next week for talks with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy and other officials.
The State Department said Blinken would participate in the U.S.-U.K. strategic dialogue on Monday and Tuesday that will cover Ukraine, the Middle East, China and the Indo-Pacific.
In their article, Burns and Moore stressed the strength of the trans-Atlantic relationship in the face of 鈥渁n unprecedented array of threats,鈥 including an assertive Russia, an ever-more powerful China and the constant drumbeat of international terrorism 鈥 all complicated by rapid technological change.
They highlighted Russia鈥檚 鈥渞eckless campaign of sabotage鈥 across Europe and the 鈥渃ynical use of technology to spread lies and disinformation designed to drive wedges between us.鈥
U.S. officials have long accused Moscow of , and this week the Biden administration seized Kremlin-run websites and charged employees of Russian broadcaster RT with to pump out pro-Kremlin messages and sow discord around November鈥檚 presidential contest.
Russia has also been linked by Western officials to several planned attacks in Europe, including an alleged
Moore said Russia's spies were acting in an increasingly desperate and reckless way.
The "Russian intelligence service has gone a bit feral," he said.
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Associated Press writers Aamer Madhani, Zeke Miller and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.
