No intelligence that Putin is in bad health: CIA chief

Washington: Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) chief William Burns has said that they do not have any intelligence that Vladimir Putin is unstable or in bad health, BBC reported on Thursday.
There have been unconfirmed media reports that President Putin, who turns 70 this year, may be suffering from ill health, possibly cancer.
But Burns said there was no evidence to suggest this, joking that he appeared “too healthy”.
His comments came as the US announced it would provide Ukraine with more long-range weapons.
Burns, who served as ambassador to Moscow, said he had been observing and dealing with the Russian leader for more than two decades and said that Putin is “a big believer in control, intimidation and getting even” and these traits have hardened over the last decade as his circle of advisers has contracted, the CIA chief said.
Burns added that “He is convinced that his destiny as Russia’s leader is to restore Russia as a great power. He believes the key to doing that is to recreate a sphere of influence in Russia’s neighbourhood and he cannot do that without controlling Ukraine.”
UNI