There is no knowledge that Vladimir Putin is unsound or in awful wellbeing, the head of the CIA has said.
There has been expanding unverified media theory that Mr. Putin, who turns 70 this year, might be experiencing chronic sickness, potentially disease.
However, William Burns said there was no proof to propose this, kidding that he showed up "excessively solid"
His remarks came as the US reported it would furnish Ukraine with additional long-range weapons.
Prior Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia's tactical concentration in Ukraine was no more "as it were" the east and suggested Moscow's technique had changed after the West provided Ukraine with such weapons.
"A devotee to control"
"There are bunches of reports about President Putin's wellbeing and supposedly he's totally excessively sound," Mr. Burns said at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado.
Mr. Burns, who filled in as diplomat to Moscow, said he had been noticing and managing the Russian chief for over twenty years
Mr. Putin is "a major devotee to control, terrorizing and settling the score" and these qualities have solidified throughout the past 10 years as his circle of consultants has gotten, the CIA boss said.
"He is persuaded that his fate as Russia's chief is to re-establish Russia as an incredible power. He trusts the way to doing that is to reproduce an effective reach in Russia's area and he can't do that without controlling Ukraine."
Mr. Burns ventured out to Moscow in November to caution about the serious ramifications of attacking Ukraine following knowledge the US had gathered about Russia's arrangements. However, the CIA chief said he left "more disturbed than when I showed up".
The Russian president's arrangements depended on "significantly defective suppositions and a few genuine deceptions, particularly about Ukraine and the will to oppose", Mr. Burns said.
"Putin truly trusts his way of talking. I've heard him say this secretly throughout the long term that Ukraine is certainly not a genuine country.
"Indeed, genuine nations retaliate. The Ukrainians have done also, that.
The US appraises that Russian setbacks in Ukraine so far have stretched around 15,000 killed and maybe 45,000 injured, Mr. Burns said.
He added Russia's ongoing convergence of powers in the Donbas recommended the military had learned hard illustrations.
Russia attacked Ukraine in February, guaranteeing erroneously that Russian speakers in Ukraine's eastern Donbas locale had experienced destruction and were required to have been freed.
Five months on, Russia has involved pieces of the east and south of the nation, however, it flopped in its unique point of catching Kyiv and has since asserted its principal objective was the freedom of Donbas.
The US has blamed Russia for getting ready to add on pieces of Ukraine.
However, prior to Wednesday, the Russian unfamiliar pastor suggested the US providing long-range weapons could expand Moscow's tactical concentration in Ukraine.
In spite of Mr. Lavrov's obvious alerts, the US on Wednesday declared it would give Ukraine all the more lengthy reach weapons.
Ukraine will get another four Himars progressed rocket frameworks to hold the development of Russian soldiers, carrying the absolute number to 16, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said.
In the interim Ukrainian First Lady, Olena Zelenska tended to US Congress, requesting more air-protection frameworks to "assist us with halting this dread against Ukrainians".
She said the weapons could help guarantee a "joint incredible triumph".