CIA Says Chinese President Xi Jinping Is ‘Uneasy’ About ‘Russian Difficulties’ In Ukraine

Chinese President Xi Jinping is “disturbed” by the “difficulties” Russia is encountering in its invasion of Ukraine, CIA Director William Burns said.

“I think President Xi and the Chinese leadership are a little bit unsettled by what they see in Ukraine,” the official told a US congressional committee. “They did not anticipate the significant difficulties that the Russians were going to encounter,” he explained.

Almost two weeks after the invasion, Russian troops are stalled in Ukraine, losing up to 4,000 soldiers, according to a Pentagon estimate, and facing unexpectedly strong resistance from Ukrainian forces.

China, which maintains good relations with the Vladimir Putin regime, has so far avoided condemning the invasion of Ukraine and has limited itself to “regretting” the conflict, while assuring that it “understands” Russia’s security concerns.

During his hearing in the US Congress, the CIA chief also considered that China was “concerned” about the impact that its proximity to the Putin regime could have on its “reputation”, also closely monitoring the possible repercussions on the Chinese economy. .

Xi Jinping reiterated his country’s principled opposition to international sanctions in a call with the leaders of France and Germany on Tuesday, saying the measures taken against Moscow “will cause harm to all parties,” according to Chinese television reports.

Before the US Congress, the CIA director also considered that China was “a little upset” by the way in which “Vladimir Putin has brought Europeans and Americans enormously closer.”