(Washington) US President Joe Biden promoted CIA Director William Burns to his cabinet on Friday — a symbolic move that underscores the US intelligence chief’s influence and his work in US support for Ukraine.
In a statement, Mr. Biden noted that Mr. Burns had “used intelligence to give our country a critical strategic advantage” and praised his “clear and direct analysis that prioritizes the safety and security of the American people.”
Mr. Burns has been a central figure in the Biden administration, particularly in the White House’s strategy to declassify intelligence findings that Russia intended to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
A career diplomat and former ambassador to Russia, Mr. Burns was sent to Moscow several months before the war to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and brief him on Washington’s analysis.
In the nearly 18 months since the start of the Russian invasion, the United States has provided Ukraine with intelligence support, as well as weapons and ammunition.
Mr. Burns has also traveled to Kyiv several times to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Mr. Burns regularly talks to President Biden and himself mentions to him the latest developments regarding the situation in Ukraine and elsewhere in the world.
As a member of the president’s cabinet, he will serve alongside Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, whose office sets the direction of CIA operations, among other things.
“Today’s announcement [vendredi] of the President recognizes the critical contributions to national security that the Central Intelligence Agency makes every day and reflects its confidence in our work,” Burns said in a statement.
“I am honored to serve in this role as a representative of the tremendous work of our intelligence officers. »