WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th July, 2022) A senior European official dismissed warnings from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken of an impending Russian military operation in Ukraine on the same day that the operation began, Blinken said during remarks to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI).
"On the day that it (the special military operation in Ukraine) actually happened, I was on the phone that morning with a very senior European colleague who I will not identify, and I said to this colleague, 'It's going to happen the next 24 hours,' and the colleague replied, 'You're still saying that?' This person called me at about 1:30 in the morning saying, 'I guess you were right,'" Blinken said on Monday.
Blinken praised the efforts of US intelligence officials, like those at ODNI, for their work leading up to and during the conflict in Ukraine, as well as the synergy between the intelligence and diplomatic communities.
Blinken also thanked the ODNI employees for their work, adding that they do not receive appreciation often enough.
