Kremlin confirms CIA director's meeting with Russian counterparts in Moscow
U.S. CIA Director John Ratcliffe spoke with Russian intelligence officials during a visit to Moscow but did not meet President Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin said on Wednesday of a trip that U.S. President Donald Trump described as "semi-routine."
CIA Director John Ratcliffe visited Moscow on August 25. The Kremlin confirmed that Ratcliffe spoke with Russian intelligence officials during his visit, but did not meet with President Vladimir Putin. According to CBC News and PBS NewsHour, the Kremlin described the purpose of the visit as establishing contacts between security services.
US President Donald Trump described the visit as "semi-routine". The Guardian US reported that Ratcliffe flew to Moscow on a government transport plane from Andrews air force base in Maryland. The exact reason for Ratcliffe's visit remains unclear, but some reports suggested it may be related to the release of American Charles Wayne Zimmerman from a Russian penal colony or to deliver a warning to Putin based on new US intelligence.
The visit took place at a time when relations between the US and Russia remain strained over Russia's war in Ukraine. Trump denied reports that Ratcliffe had been sent to Russia because Putin planned to "test the resolve" of NATO, and expressed hope that the war in Ukraine would end soon. According to The Insider, Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov stated that Ratcliffe did not meet personally with Putin, although another source claimed that Putin had to change his schedule because of the visit.
Brief written by urgent.news from CBC News, The Insider, The Guardian US, PBS NewsHour, Meduza (English) — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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