**New CIA Director Confirmed**
The US Senate has confirmed John Ratcliffe as the new Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). This happened on January 23. A total of 74 senators voted in favor of his appointment, while 24 voted against it.
Ratcliffe was previously President Donald Trump’s director of national intelligence during part of Trump’s first term in office. He is now the second Trump nominee to be confirmed by the Senate. Just a few days ago, Marco Rubio was sworn in as Secretary of State.
**Replacing Bill Burns**
Ratcliffe will take over from Bill Burns, who has been head of the CIA. Burns was known for regularly communicating with Ukrainian officials to share intelligence. He even met with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on December 21, just before Russia’s full-scale invasion.
The United States under Joe Biden had provided significant financial and military aid to Ukraine since the war began nearly three years ago. The US also shared military intelligence to help bolster Ukraine’s defense.
**New Challenges Ahead**
In his Senate hearing last week, Ratcliffe spoke about the need for the US to improve its use of artificial intelligence to counter foreign adversaries like Russia and China. He also echoed Trump’s comments that the Russia-Ukraine war could draw the US into a conflict with a “nuclear country”.
It is unclear if the Trump administration will continue to provide the same level of intelligence sharing with Ukraine as it received during the Biden administration.
Read More @ kyivindependent.com
