Vladimir Putin 'entirely too healthy': CIA chief

Washington, July 21: Refuting the rumours around the health of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Chief of the US Central Intelligence Agency said that he is "entirely too healthy."

Speaking at the Aspen Security Forum, CIA Director William Burns said, "There are lots of rumours about President Putin's health and, as far as we can tell, he is apparently too healthy."

However, he pointed out that it is "not a formal intelligence judgment."

Talking about the Russia-Ukraine war, Burns said that around 15,000 Russian troops had been killed so far. "The Ukrainians have suffered as well, probably a little less than that, but significant casualties."

At the same event, Burns spoke about the current Sri Lankan crisis where he blamed the island nation for making "dumb bets" on China. "The Chinese have a lot of weight to throw around and they can make a very appealing case for their investments," AFP quoted Burns as saying at the Aspen Security Forum.

"Nations should look at "a place like Sri Lanka today -- heavily indebted to China -- which has made some really dumb bets about their economic future and are suffering pretty catastrophic, both economic and political, consequences as a result. That, I think, ought to be an object lesson to a lot of other players -- not just in the Middle East or South Asia, but around the world -- about having your eyes wide open about those kinds of dealings," he said at the event.