Kremlin Calls CIA Director's Visit Of Positive Value, Will He Meet President Putin?

Direktur CIA William Burns. (Wikimedia Commons/East Asia and Pacific Media Hub/U.S. Department of State)

JAKARTA - Director of the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) William Burns is in Moscow, to conduct a two-day working visit with the delegation he leads.

Citing TASS November 3, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday the dialogue that William Burns held in Moscow could be seen as a positive event in the contacts of the two countries.

"There is no doubt," said a spokesman for the Russian Presidency in response to a question about whether the CIA Director's visit to Moscow could be construed as a step to develop contacts between the two countries, following a summit between Russian and US presidents in Geneva, Switzerland some time ago.

"Dialogue at this level and dialogue on such sensitive issues, is very important for bilateral relations and for the exchange of opinions on the issues we have," Peskov explained.

Speaking about the issues discussed at the CIA Director's meeting in Moscow, the Kremlin press secretary mentioned "bilateral relations, first of all, and the exchange of opinions on various international issues."

However, Peskov did not provide an answer to the question of whether President Vladimir Putin would have some kind of contact with William Burns.

"The president is out of Moscow. He is in Sochi, where he is currently working. If some contact occurs, not personal contact, we will let you know," Peskov said.

On November 2, CIA Director Burns held a meeting in Moscow with Secretary of the Russian Security Council Nikolai Patrushev and Director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service Sergei Naryshkin.

Asked if President Putin had received a report from Patrushev regarding the meeting with the CIA Director, Peskov answered clearly.

"It was an important contact with the heads of our special services. Of course, President Putin received all the necessary reports," Peskov said.

To note, the United States Embassy in Moscow previously told TASS that, on instructions from US President Joe Biden, the CIA Director was in the Russian capital on a two-day visit with a delegation of senior US officials.