'Xi Unsettled By Ukraine, Didn't Expect Russian Difficulties': CIA Chief
NDTV
Beijing has refused to condemn the invasion by its close partner Russia and said Monday their friendship remains "rock solid"
The CIA's director said Tuesday he believes China leader Xi Jinping has been "unsettled" by Russia's difficulties in invading Ukraine, and by how the war has brought the United States and Europe closer.
"I think President Xi and the Chinese leadership are a little bit unsettled by what they're seeing in Ukraine," Central Intelligence Agency boss William Burns told US lawmakers during a hearing on global threat assessments.
"They did not anticipate the significant difficulties the Russians were going to run into."
Nearly two weeks into the invasion, Russian forces are bogged down in Ukraine, suffering as many as 4,000 fatalities, according to the Pentagon's estimate, and encountering unexpectedly strong resistance from Ukrainian forces.
