CIA Director William Burns said Thursday that the next six months will be critical in the war in Ukraine, as Russian President Vladimir Putin bets that waning Western interest and "political fatigue" could give his military a new chance to win on the battlefield.

 This is reported by CBS News.

 "I think Putin is betting right now that he can make time work for him. It seems to us that everything will be decided on the battlefield in the next six months," Burns said.

 "To undermine Putin's pride, to make it clear that not only will he not be able to advance further in Ukraine, but every month he is more and more at risk of losing the territory he illegally seized in Ukraine. Therefore, I think the next period will be absolutely decisive," - he continued.

 A career diplomat and former ambassador to Russia said that according to Western intelligence, Moscow is not interested in peace talks, despite periodic reports to the contrary.

 "We don't think Putin is serious about negotiations, despite what you sometimes hear about that," Burns said.

 We will remind, the White House and the CIA deny the information spread by the Swiss publication that the head of intelligence William Burns allegedly learned in January about the readiness of Kyiv and Moscow to talk about "the world in exchange for territory", and the refusal unblocked the allies' decision about tanks.