The Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said today that he has met with CIA Director William Burns in Ukraine, although such meetings have rarely been made public since the Russian invasion.

“Bill Burns made his last visit to Ukraine as CIA director,” Zelensky wrote in Telegram, adding that the two men had “many meetings during this war,” most of which have not been disclosed.

“We had many meetings during this war and I am grateful for his help,” the Ukrainian president added.

“Usually such meetings are not made public and all our meetings – at Ukrainein other European countries, in America and in other parts of the world – they were done without official notification,” he added.

The United States has been Ukraine’s biggest economic and military backer in the nearly three years since the Russian invasion, and Washington also reportedly regularly shares military intelligence with Ukraine to support its defense.

THE William Burns is expected to step down as CIA chief after handing over the White House to US President-elect Donald Trump.

The last confirmed meeting between Zelensky and Burns took place in mid-2023, according to US officials who announced in July 2023 that Burns had secretly visited Ukraine.

Zelensky today posted a photo of himself shaking hands with Burns in a place where the Ukrainian coat of arms can be seen. He did not say when the meeting took place, but noted that it was the last meeting between the two men before Bill Burns stepped down as head of the CIA.

The meeting comes at a critical moment in the war, a month before he takes over the presidency Donald Trump. The Republican president-elect has pledged to end the war “within 24 hours”, fueling fears that Kiev will be forced to accept a peace deal on terms favorable to Moscow.