CIA director warns Russian spy chief against deploying nukes

By AAMER MADHANI
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — CIA Director Bill Burns has met with his Russian intelligence counterpart to warn of consequences if Russia were to deploy a nuclear weapon in Ukraine. That’s according to a White House National Security Council official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity. The official says Burns and Russian SVR spy agency head Sergei Naryshkin did not discuss settlement of the Ukraine war. Monday’s meeting was the highest-ranking face-to-face engagement of U.S. and Russian officials since before Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the February invasion. Before the meeting, the official said Burns would raise the cases of Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner and Michigan corporate security executive Paul Whelan, both detained in Russia.