Kremlin: CIA Head Nominee Burns Defended US, But Saw Need For Dialogue With Russia

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th February, 2021) William Burns, who used to be the US ambassador to Russia and is now nominee for the head of the CIA, always defended US interests but understood the importance of the dialogue with Russia, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday.

Peskov was asked about Burns' recent suggestion that he went gray due to his work in Russia.

The spokesman declined to speculate on what could cause Burns to go gray, but described him as someone knowledgeable about Russia, understanding the tensions in the US-Russian relationships and never "blindly hawkish."

"He was always a balanced kind of American, who defended the interests of his country but also understood the importance of Moscow-Washington dialogue," Peskov said.

Burns was the ambassador in Moscow from 2005 to 2008. He rose to the rank of deputy secretary within the US State Department and retired from the US foreign affairs department in 2014.