The CIA director, who is also the lead US negotiator for ending the Gaza war and freeing hostages held by Hamas, said that A more detailed ceasefire proposal would be presented in the coming days.
CIA Director William Burns was speaking at a Financial Times event in London alongside Richard Moore, head of Britain’s foreign spy agency MI6, the first time they appeared together in public.
After 11 months of conflict in Gaza, Burns is working with Qatar and Egypt to achieve a ceasefire for the United States, and said work is being done on “creative language and formulas.” to find a proposal that satisfies both parties.
“We will make this proposal in more detail, I hope in the next few days, and then we will see,” he said.
He added that it was a question of political will and that He hoped that leaders on both sides would acknowledge that “the time has finally come to make some tough decisions.” and make some tough compromises.”
Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages., According to Israeli counts, while the Israeli retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed nearly 41,000 Palestinians.H.HAccording to Gaza health authorities, the disease has largely devastated the coastal enclave.
Burns and Moore had written a joint opinion piece in the FT newspaper on Saturday before the event, in which They highlighted the joint efforts of both to help Ukraine in its war against Russia.
They said “staying the course” in supporting Ukraine was more important than ever. and pledged to continue cooperating.
Commenting on Ukraine’s offensive in Russia’s Kursk region, where kyiv has seized land, Moore called it a “bold and daring” move to try to change the rules of the game.
“It is too early to say how long the Ukrainians will be able to hold out there (in Kursk),” he added.
While Burns called the offensive a “significant tactical achievement” for the Ukrainians, he added that he saw no evidence that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s grip on power was weakening.
