Zelensky Meets CIA Chief John Ratcliffe in Ireland En Route to New York – Reuters

President Volodymyr Zelensky met with CIA Director John Ratcliffe at Shannon Airport in Ireland as he journeyed to New York for the UN General Assembly, according to Reuters. The two men met while their planes were being refueled, and the discussion was described as casual by one source. No specifics about the conversation were shared.

Ratcliffe was coming back from a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, while Zelensky was en route to New York for a string of high-level engagements, which included consultations with US President Donald Trump. This encounter occurred just over a month after Ratcliffe had been in Moscow for talks with senior Russian intelligence officials.

The CIA chief's Moscow trip centered on Ukraine, though neither party has made the specifics public. The New York Times had earlier stated that Ratcliffe's Moscow visit entailed sharing a pessimistic view of Russia's stance in the conflict and urging Russian officials to strike a deal before their plight worsened. Trump subsequently downplayed the trip, describing it as ordinary and stating that Ratcliffe had not been dispatched to convey any specific message.