Ukrainians would fight Russia “with their bare hands” if they have to - CIA chief

The CIA chief said this on Tuesday at the Senate Intelligence Committee hearings on the annual report on global threats, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

Ratcliffe admitted that Russia has an advantage on the battlefield. At the same time, he noted, “the Ukrainian resistance, the Ukrainian people and the Ukrainian military have been underestimated for a period of several years now,” he said.

“And ultimately, from my reflections in observing, from an intelligence standpoint, I'm convinced that they will fight with their bare hands if they have to, if they don't have terms that are acceptable to an enduring peace,” Ratcliffe stressed.

According to the CIA chief, the current peace talks, if successful, would show that neither side will get everything they want, and neither side’s “maximalist” goals will be achieved.

As Ukrinform reported, the U.S. intelligence community believes Russia and Ukraine may prefer to pursue the conflict rather than rush to a full settlement immediately.