As Ukraine tries to turn the tide of the war, the heads of the US and UK foreign intelligence agencies have praised Ukraine's invasion of Russia.
Richard Moore, head of British intelligence service MI6, said at an event in London that Ukraine's surprise attack in Russia's Kursk region in August was “a classic example of a bold and daring move by the Ukrainian side to change the game,” the Associated Press reported. Reported.
CIA Director William Burns echoed Moore's comments, saying the attack was a “significant tactical achievement” that exposed Russian vulnerability.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed last month that his country's troops were fighting inside Russia, “on the territory of the aggressor.” Russian President Vladimir Putin said last week that Ukraine's Operation Kursk would not prevent his country's troops from continuing to fight in eastern Ukraine, even though thousands of troops had been moved to defend Kursk.
President Zelensky said his forces would hold the Russian territory they had seized indefinitely.
The Kursk invasion was seen as a bold move by world leaders, but it has yet to fully pay off for Ukraine. So far, one of the main goals – diversion of forces from eastern Ukraine – has not been achieved. The troops Putin sent to Kursk came from the south, not the east.
Moore and Barnes also Financial Timesoutlined the US-UK alliance, particularly with regard to countries like Russia.
“The CIA and SIS are working together to resist Russian assertiveness, [Russian President Vladimir Putin’s] “It is a war of aggression against Ukraine,” they wrote.
As the war between Russia and Ukraine escalates, intelligence leaders said it was “more important than ever” to stay the course.
The leaders wrote that an “unprecedented set of threats”, including from Russia, China and terrorist threats, made strengthening the transatlantic relationship even more important.
