The Real Reason Why CIA Director Brennan Was In Kiev

CIA Director John Brennan and President Obama. Pete Souza/White House

Here’s What The CIA Director Was Really Doing In Kiev -- Eli Lake & Josh Rogin, Daily Beast

The head of the CIA just made a secretive journey to Ukraine—to do what, he won’t say. But the answer could change the power equation in the hottest of geopolitical hotspots.

The Obama administration is now considering a new policy to share more real-time intelligence with the interim government in Kiev after pressure from some in the U.S. military, Congress and U.S. allies in Ukraine.

Over the weekend, CIA director John Brennan met with Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk and First Deputy Prime Minister Vitaliy Yarema to discuss the formation of new, more secure channels for sharing U.S. intelligence with the country now fighting pro-Russian secessionists in its eastern cities, according to U.S. and western officials briefed on the meeting.

It’s a vitally important issue because the Ukrainians are badly outmatched by the Russian forces massed on their border and infiltrating their cities. If Kiev is going to have a hope of withstanding the pressure from Moscow, their intelligence on the Russian military’s activities will have to be exquisite.

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My Comment: I am skeptical on everything that the White House is saying on Ukraine. Their interference (like Russia's) has not helped the situation .... and in many cases .... has only exacerbated them. CIA director John Brennan's trip to Ukraine was done to formalize intelligence sharing between the U.S. and Ukraine, and to provide a U.S. assessment on Russian actions and capabilities to the interim government in Kiev on what they would do if the Ukraine government should send their troops into the breakaway regions. My take on that assessment is that contrary to U.S. remarks and protests that Russia may invade Ukraine .... the CIA assessment was actually the opposite .... there are not enough Russian forces to intervene in eastern Ukraine, and that Russia special ops and intelligence operatives were few and far between in fermenting trouble in eastern Ukraine. This is why I am not surprised that 24 hours after CIA Director Brennan had left Kiev .... the Ukraine government then gave the order for their military to move in.