MI6 chiefs and The CIA said today that Ukraine's surprise invasion of Russia was a significant achievement that could change the way the two-and-a-half-year-old war is perceived, AP reported, cited by BTA.
Richard Moore, the head of the British intelligence service MI-6, told an event organized by the "Financial Times" expressed in London that Kiev's surprise decision to seize territory in Russia's Kursk region was "a typically bold and brave move by Ukrainians to try to change the game." He stated that the offensive had "brought the war into the homes of ordinary Russians".
Together with Moore, the director of the US CIA, William Burns, also spoke at the forum in London. He said the offensive was an achievement that exposed the vulnerability of the Russian army.
Burns warned of the intensifying and "troublesome" defense relations between Russia, China, Iran and North Korea, which he says threaten both Ukraine and Western allies in the Middle East. North Korea has been sending ammunition and missiles to Russia to use against Ukraine, while Iran supplies Moscow with attack drones.
Burns said the CIA does not yet have firm evidence that China is sending weapons to Russia, but it has suspicions. He warned Iran against supplying ballistic missiles to Moscow.
The two intelligence chiefs wrote an op-ed in the Financial Times calling for a Gaza ceasefire and saying their agencies had "used our intelligence channels to push hard for restraint and de-escalation".
They said a truce in Israel's war against "Hamas" "will end the suffering and horrific loss of life of Palestinian citizens and bring home the hostages after 11 months of captivity.
Burns has been involved in efforts to end the fighting, traveling to Egypt in August for high-level talks aimed at reaching a hostage deal and at least a temporary halt to the conflict.
So far no agreement has been reached, although US officials say one will be reached soon. US President Joe Biden recently said that "just a few more questions" remain unresolved. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said reports of a breach on the subject were "totally inaccurate".
"I can't tell you how close we are to that right now,", Burns said at the "Financial Times" event. in London.
He stated that while 90% of the text was agreed between the warring parties, "the last 10% is the last 10% for a reason, because that is the hardest part.
Burns said ending the conflict would require "some hard decisions and some political compromises" both by Israel and by "Hamas".
The US and the UK are staunch allies of Israel, although on Monday London distanced itself from Washington by halting the export of some weapons to Israel over the risk they could be used to violate international law.