Former CIA official says US must have a coherent national security strategy when it comes to Russia

A former director of the CIA's Russia Analysis says the U.S. needs a strong national security strategy as war in Ukraine appears to be escalating.

The former director, George Beebee, says he expects the Biden administration to announce its strategy this week, amid Russian President Vladimir Putin seeming to make nuclear threats, an explosion this past weekend on the bridge that links Russia to former Ukraine territory Crimea and Russia retaliating with a major bombing offensive. 

"Many of the strategies that the United States has employed over the past several decades have been basically lists of all the things we plan to do, but not really coherent arguments about priorities," Beebee also said, on the John Solomon Reports podcast on Tuesday.

Beebee also warned about the impact of the threat that China and Russia are strengthening their ties.

"We can't afford to be in a two-front war with China and Russia," he said. "We can't afford to have Russia and China allied against us in the world, acting to undermine our interests everywhere. So we need a coherent strategy. And I'm going to be very interested to see what the Biden administration unveils."

During a Democratic Party fundraiser last week, President Biden warned that the United States had not faced the prospect of Armageddon since Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Beebee said he agreed with Biden regarding that statement. 

"I think Biden is right, and Elon Musk is right as well on this," said Beebee, referring to the billionaire entrepreneur suggesting some sort of peace agreement to end Russia's roughly 7-month-long invasion of Ukraine. "The United States and Russia are on a collision course. And when that happens, the danger that nuclear weapons could be used, and that things could spiral into a complete strategic nuclear exchange is a real one."

Beebee also argues that since the United States is offering financial and military assistance to Ukraine, it cannot just stand by.

"The biggest responsibility that we have is to make sure this war doesn't escalate," he concluded. "And that's not something that Ukraine should be deciding. That's something that the United States needs to be talking to Russia about directly to manage and defuse this crisis before it gets completely out of hand."