'Averted global disaster': CIA chief praises PM Narendra Modi, says his view impacted Russia-Ukraine war

CIA Director Bill Burns said though there is no clear evidence of Russia's plan to use tactical nuclear weapons, the saber-rattling may be meant to intimidate Ukraine.

CIA chief Bill Burns heaped praise on PM Modi saying that his views on the use of nuclear weapons had an impact on the Russia.

The Narendra Modi government's foreign policy has got applause from United State's intelligence agency CIA. Central Intelligence Agency (CAI) chief Bill Burns heaped praise on PM Modi saying that his views on the use of nuclear weapons had an impact on the Russians and could have averted a global disaster in the context of the Ukraine War. CIA Director Burns said that Chinese premier Xi Jinping and PM Modi have raised their concerns about the use of nuclear weapons and that could have proved useful.

He said though there is no clear evidence of Russia's plan to use tactical nuclear weapons, the saber-rattling may be meant to intimidate Ukraine. 

CIA Chief Bill Burns remarks come as Russian President Vladimir Putin on December 3 admitted that the conflict is going to take a while. He also warned of the increasing threat of nuclear war. In his address at the meeting of Russia's Human Rights Council at the Kremlin, Putin said that Russia will fight by all available means at its disposal. Putin said that he considered Moscow's nuclear arsenal as a 'deterrent rather than a provocation.'

Notably, India has been calling for dialogue and diplomacy since the war began between Russia and Ukraine. In a telephonic conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on December 16, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated his call for dialogue and diplomacy as the only way forward in the context of the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.

During the telephonic conversation, Putin gave a fundamental assessment of Russia's line in the Ukrainian direction. The talks between the two leaders come after their face-to-face meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Samarkand in September, reported ANI.

"At the request of Narendra Modi, Vladimir Putin gave fundamental assessments of Russia's line on the Ukrainian direction," according to the statement released by Kremlin.

During the meeting in Samarkand, PM Modi had said, "today's era is not of war." Meanwhile, Russian President Putin had said, "I know about your position on the Ukraine conflict. I know about your concerns. We want all of this to end as soon as possible."

Earlier in October, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. During the telephonic conversation, PM Modi underscored that endangering nuclear facilities could have catastrophic consequences on public health and the environment.