Russian dictator Vladimir Putin was initially ready to meet CIA Director John Ratcliffe during his visit to Moscow on August 25. However, after the Kremlin learned the contents of the message he had brought, a personal meeting was deemed inappropriate.
This was reported by the Russian outlet “Agentstvo. Novosti”, citing a source close to the Kremlin.
According to the outlet’s source, Ratcliffe came to Moscow with a call to reach an agreement on ending the war as soon as possible. He proceeded from the view that Russia’s military and economic position was deteriorating and that it would be more advantageous for Moscow to strike a deal now rather than wait for further weakening.
During the visit, the CIA director met with the head of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, Sergei Naryshkin, and, as Western media reported, with FSB chief Alexander Bortnikov. After one of these meetings, the contents of the conversation were relayed to Putin, after which the Kremlin declined a personal meeting between him and Ratcliffe, the source claims.
“His message looked as if Zelenskyy were already standing on Poklonnaya Hill and looking at the Kremlin through binoculars. Everyone understands that this is not the case,” the Agentstvo source said.
The Kremlin considered the assessment of the situation brought by the CIA director to be inconsistent with Russia’s actual position. The source did not know to what extent Ratcliffe’s position reflected that of the entire Donald Trump administration.
The Kremlin had previously officially confirmed that Putin did not meet with Ratcliffe, but was promptly informed about his contacts with Russian intelligence services.
According to The New York Times, during the trip the CIA director also urged Moscow to reach an agreement before its military and economic position deteriorated further. Axios reported that Ratcliffe proposed the idea of a trilateral summit involving Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The Wall Street Journal and Politico also wrote that one of the purposes of the visit may have been to warn Moscow against a possible attack on NATO countries, primarily the Baltic states. Trump denied that Ratcliffe had traveled to Moscow with such a warning and described the trip as “partly routine.”
