CIA director visits Kyiv, meets with Ukraine's Zelenskyy

WASHINGTON (AP) — CIA Director William Burns visited Kyiv last week to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a U.S. official said Thursday, in the latest example of high-level contacts between the U.S. and Ukraine.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the director's classified schedule, said Burns emphasized Washington's "continued support for Ukraine" in the war. Burns also met with Ukrainian intelligence officials.

The CIA director has briefed Zelenskyy repeatedly before and since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine last February, passing on U.S. intelligence findings about Moscow's war plans and intentions.

The war launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin is soon to enter its second year having resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and with no clear resolution on the horizon. Washington is about to send another $2.5 billion in aid to Ukraine, including for the first time Stryker armored vehicles.