Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, Burns claimed he acquired “most of the gray locks” during his work in Moscow – a post he held from 2005 to 2008.
“The rest of my gray hair has to do with negotiations with the Iranians, especially the secret negotiations in 2013” over nuclear weapons, he explained, referring to the interim Joint Plan of Action agreement inked that year between Iran and six other nations to ease embargoes on Tehran in exchange for curbing its atomic program.
Burns also commented on concerns over the Russian-Ukrainian border.
The CIA director remarked that he “would never underestimate President Vladimir Putin’s appetite for risk” when it comes to Kiev.
“It’s so important to respond to that with a strong mix of deterrence as well as the possibility of diplomacy,” he added.
The Kremlin has consistently denied accusations made by several Western outlets and officials in recent weeks that Russia is masterminding an invasion of its neighbor. Kremlin Spokespman, Dmitry Peskov, has slammed the allegations as groundless.
“This hysteria, which is being stirred up now in the Anglo-Saxon media, in the Ukrainian media, and is supported by Ukrainian politicians led by the head of state [President Volodymyr Zelensky], is absolutely unacceptable,” the Kremlin press secretary said.
Moscow mocked reports by US news site Politico in early November that claimed Russian troops were being stationed in increasing numbers near the Ukrainian border. However, satellite imagery published alongside the article purported to show Russian hardware piling up near the city of Yelnya, hundreds of kilometers from Ukraine, and closer to neighboring Belarus.
A video conference between Putin and his US counterpart Joe Biden has ended after just over two hours. The Kremlin had pledged the leaders would talk “for as long as it takes” to resolve their issues.
The much-anticipated video “summit” on Tuesday touched on a number of topics, including the American accusation that Russia is amassing troops to “invade” Ukraine, which Moscow has dismissed as “fake news”.
A White House readout of the call said Biden voiced “deep concerns” of the US over Russia’s “escalation of forces surrounding Ukraine” and threatened “strong economic and other measures in the event of military escalation”. Ransomware and “regional issues such as Iran” were also brought up.
Biden is expected to contact Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, as well as the leaders of UK, France, Germany and Italy after his conversation with Putin, according to the White House. His national security adviser Jake Sullivan is scheduled to brief reporters on the call later in the day.
The only live meeting between Putin and Biden since the latter took office was in June. The Geneva summit was hailed as a potential breakthrough, but progress has since failed to materialize.
