Newsletters
U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director John Ratcliffe called on Russia to reach a deal with Ukraine during his visit to Moscow, The New York Times reported, citing unnamed current and former officials.
The report said Ratcliffe conveyed the message to Federal Security Service (FSB) Director Alexander Bortnikov during his visit to the Russian capital.
According to the report, Ratcliffe went to Moscow “to encourage the Russians to reach an agreement with Ukraine before their military and economic situation worsens further.”
The CIA director did not threaten the Russian side with possible consequences if Moscow chose to continue the war, the report said.
The New York Times said it was unclear whether Ratcliffe’s message signaled any change in U.S. policy toward Russia or Ukraine.
It described the visit as an attempt to revive stalled negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv.
Ratcliffe reportedly told Bortnikov that Russia was “in a bad situation militarily and economically” in its war with Ukraine and that he believed it was time for Moscow to enter serious negotiations to end the conflict.
Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Director Sergey Naryshkin confirmed Thursday that he met Ratcliffe, who arrived in Moscow earlier this week.
Speaking to journalists in the Russian capital, Naryshkin described the meeting as “nothing unusual,” saying the talks were “part of our working format.”
“During the meeting, we discussed a number of issues that fall within the purview of intelligence services. And intelligence services’ purview is a rather delicate and specific matter,” Naryshkin said.
The Kremlin confirmed Wednesday that Ratcliffe visited Moscow on Tuesday, marking the first visit by a CIA chief since 2021.
It said the visit involved contacts between security services and described such contacts as a “positive phenomenon, a positive process.”
According to Flightradar24, a U.S. Air Force C-17A Globemaster III flew from the Latvian capital Riga to Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport on Tuesday.
The aircraft had arrived two days earlier from Camp Springs in the United States, near Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, where White House aircraft are often based.
The aircraft departed Moscow and returned to Riga later the same evening, according to Flightradar24 data.
CBS News later reported, citing sources familiar with the situation, that the CIA director was in the Russian capital for meetings.
Axios, citing a source, reported that Washington told Kyiv a senior delegation would visit Moscow and asked Ukraine to suspend strikes until the delegation left the country.
U.S. President Donald Trump characterized Ratcliffe’s visit to Moscow as “semi-routine” Wednesday, dismissing reports that it was linked to potential Russian military threats against NATO or the United Kingdom.
Trump suggested the visit was connected to efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
Ratcliffe’s trip marked one of the highest-level U.S. visits to Moscow since Russia launched its war against Ukraine in 2022.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
1 min read
