LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM -- 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.
Richard Moore, the head of MI6, said Kyiv鈥檚 surprise move in August 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 had 鈥渂rought the war home to ordinary Russians.鈥�
Speaking alongside Moore at a rare public event in London, CIA Director William Burns said the offensive was a 鈥渟ignificant achievement鈥� that had exposed vulnerabilities in the Russian military.
Burns 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.
The two spymasters also wrote an opinion piece for the Financial Times, calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and saying their agencies had 鈥渆xploited our intelligence channels to push hard for restraint and de-escalation.鈥�
They said a ceasefire in Israel鈥檚 war against Hamas 鈥渃ould end the suffering and appalling loss of life of Palestinian civilians and bring home the hostages after 11 months of hellish confinement.鈥�
Burns has been heavily involved in efforts to broker an end to the fighting, traveling to Egypt in August for high-level talks aimed at bringing about a hostage deal 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. U.S. President Joe Biden said recently that 鈥渏ust a couple more issues鈥� remain unresolved. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, has said reports of a breakthrough are 鈥渆xactly inaccurate.鈥�
鈥淚 cannot tell you how close we are right now,鈥� Burns told an audience at the FT Weekend Festival at London's Kenwood House.
He said that while 90 per cent of the text has been agreed between the warring sides, 鈥渢he last 10 per cent is the last 10 per cent 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 political 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 suspending some arms exports to Israel because of the risk they could be used to break international law.
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 threat from 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 meddling in American elections, and this week the Biden administration seized Kremlin-run websites and charged employees of Russian broadcaster RT with covertly funding social media campaigns to pump out pro-Kremlin messages and sow discord around November鈥檚 presidential contest.
The article is the first joint opinion piece by the heads of the two spy agencies. The two directors pointed to a new era of openness in their secretive field, noting that the CIA and MI6 both declassified intelligence about Russia鈥檚 plan to invade Ukraine before Moscow attacked its neighbor in February 2022.
鈥淲e saw it coming, and were able to warn the international community so we could all rally to Ukraine鈥檚 defense,鈥� they said.
The spy chiefs said 鈥渟taying the course鈥� in supporting Ukraine remained vital.
They said the conflict has brought an unprecedented mix of conventional weaponry, fast-evolving technology in the form of drones and satellites, cyber-warfare and information operations 鈥渁t incredible pace and scale.鈥�
鈥淭his conflict has demonstrated that technology, deployed alongside extraordinary bravery and traditional weaponry, can alter the course of war,鈥� they said, praising 鈥淯kraine鈥檚 resilience, innovation and elan.鈥�
