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The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has denied a Financial Times (FT) report claiming that Director John Ratcliffe is preparing to take on a bigger role in efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
CIA Director of Public Affairs Liz Lyons shared the Financial Times report on the social media platform X and wrote: "This reporting is false."
Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), quoted Lyons's post, commenting: "CIA versus fake FT reporting."
The Financial Times reported that Ratcliffe is preparing to take a bigger role in U.S. negotiations with Russia and Ukraine, according to five people familiar with the plans, citing U.S. officials who told European counterparts about the move.
The report said the shift comes as the White House considers scaling back the involvement of U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner, who have led the talks with Moscow and Kyiv.
Officials close to Ratcliffe reportedly told European counterparts he would take on a larger role in shuttle diplomacy between Russia and Ukraine, currently the purview of Witkoff and Kushner, while maintaining contact with intelligence officers in both countries.
People close to the situation told the Financial Times that U.S. President Donald Trump had not made a final decision.
The White House issued its own denial, stating: "This entire story is totally fake news . . . None of these supposed conversations are happening. Special envoy Witkoff and Jared Kushner continue to work incredibly hard towards a peace agreement, and the President trusts them fully to lead negotiations on behalf of the United States."
According to the Financial Times, Witkoff would likely retain his role as U.S. special envoy for peace missions, including negotiations in the Middle East, and could remain involved in Ukraine alongside Ratcliffe.
Two people cited by the outlet said a "tug of war" was underway between Ratcliffe and Witkoff over responsibilities, with Witkoff's unconventional approach, described as bypassing traditional diplomatic channels in favor of direct contacts, having frustrated Russia, Ukraine and Kyiv's Western allies.
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Ratcliffe made a surprise visit to Moscow on Aug. 25, holding talks with Russian intelligence officials on the wars in Ukraine and Iran, as well as Russia's "hybrid" threats to Europe, according to people familiar with the matter cited by the Financial Times.
Trump downplayed the visit as "sort of semi-routine."
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said after the visit that Ratcliffe did not meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, with contacts instead conducted through intelligence agencies. Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov said claims that Putin refused to meet Ratcliffe during his Moscow visit did not reflect reality.
The Financial Times reported that Putin had initially planned to meet Ratcliffe, according to two people familiar with the matter, but the Russian president backed out after Ratcliffe delivered a downbeat assessment of Moscow's war effort to senior Russian intelligence officials. Russian independent news outlet Agentstvo first reported that Putin had canceled the planned meeting.
Peskov told the Financial Times that no meeting between Putin and Ratcliffe had been planned, and that Trump and Putin did not discuss a possible change to the U.S. negotiating team during a phone call Tuesday.
The week after Ratcliffe's Moscow trip, Witkoff and Kushner traveled to meet Putin in Moscow and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv, Witkoff's eighth trip to Russia, in part to retain the Ukraine portfolio, according to two people familiar with the matter cited by the Financial Times.
After the visits, Witkoff and Kushner expressed optimism that the U.S., Russia and Ukraine could resume trilateral talks suspended since February, though people familiar with the discussions said the Americans brought few new ideas and that Putin showed little sign of backing down from his demands.
"You can't solve this by dipping in and out," one person familiar with the talks told the Financial Times, adding, "It's a very complex conflict. You need properly organized, full-time work on every issue. Right now that's not happening."
Ushakov said on Russian state television that Putin told Trump the U.S. could secure an immediate ceasefire by ending all support for Ukraine.
Kushner has told associates he expects to move on from the Ukraine file and would prefer to focus on diplomatic efforts related to Gaza and the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.
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