CIA director secretly visited Kyiv in early June - media

CIA Director William Burns paid an announced visit to Kyiv in early June and met with Ukraine's political and military leadership to discuss plans to counter Russian aggression.

That's according to The Washington Post, which cites officials familiar with the visit, Ukrinform reports.

"During a secret visit to Ukraine by CIA Director William J. Burns earlier this month, Ukrainian officials revealed an ambitious strategy to retake Russian-occupied territory and open cease-fire negotiations with Moscow by the end of the year," the article says.

According to the media outlet, the trip by Burns, which has not been previously reported, included meetings with President Volodymyr Zelensky and Ukraine's top intelligence officials. It came at a critical moment as Ukrainian forces struggle to gain an early advantage in their long-awaited counteroffensive but have yet to deploy most of their Western-trained and -equipped assault brigades.

The purpose of the visit was to reaffirm the Biden administration's commitment to sharing intelligence meant to help Ukraine defend itself, the official added.

In private, military planners in Kyiv have relayed to Burns and others bullish confidence in their aim to retake substantial territory by the fall; move artillery and missile systems near the boundary line of Russian-controlled Crimea; push further into eastern Ukraine; and then open negotiations with Moscow for the first time since peace talks broke down in March of last year, according to three people familiar with the planning.

"Russia will only negotiate if it feels threatened," the news outlet quoted a senior Ukrainian official as saying.

According to the article, Ukraine has taken heavy casualties as its troops and armored vehicles navigate thick minefields and fortified trenches across wide-open territory. The challenging terrain has left troops vulnerable to Russian airstrikes and missile attacks. Zelensky has acknowledged that the counteroffensive is going "slower than desired," and officials have confirmed the destruction of some Western-provided Leopard 2 tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles.

However, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov has dismissed skeptics, saying the "main event" is yet to come, while the country's top military commander, Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi, has called for patience, saying the offensive is being "carried out" as diligently as possible.

Military analysts say Ukraine's goal of forcing a negotiation is ambitious given Russia's fortified defenses, but not out of the question.