Putin сalled off meeting with CIA chief last-minute over Ukraine war stance
Photo: Vladimir Putin (Getty Images)
Russian President Vladimir Putin canceled a planned meeting with the CIA director during his visit to Moscow on August 25 due to differences over the war in Ukraine, according to Agenstvo.
During his trip to Russia, CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with Sergei Naryshkin, head of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, and Alexander Bortnikov, head of the Federal Security Service (FSB).
The main purpose of Ratcliffe's visit was to urge the Russian leadership to reach an agreement as soon as possible to end the war against Ukraine. US intelligence assumed that Russia's military and economic situation was steadily deteriorating, so it would be more advantageous for Moscow to strike a deal now rather than wait for further weakening.
During talks with Bortnikov, the CIA director conveyed his own bleak assessment of Russia's situation in the war.
Outrage in Kremlin and refusal to negotiate
Initially, Putin was prepared for a face-to-face meeting with John Ratcliffe and had even cleared time in his schedule for it. However, after one of the American official's meetings with intelligence chiefs, the content of the conversation was promptly relayed to the Kremlin leader, after which he decided that holding negotiations was inadvisable.
"His message made it seem as if Zelenskyy was already standing on Poklonnaya Hill, looking at the Kremlin through binoculars. Everyone understands that this is not the case," says a source close to the Kremlin.
The source also adds that Moscow interpreted this statement as if Ratcliffe had the wrong address. At the same time, the Kremlin does not know to what extent the CIA director's position reflected the common line of President Donald Trump's entire administration.
Putin's spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, confirms that no meeting took place between Putin and Ratcliffe, but notes that the President was immediately briefed on the results of the discussions.
"Of course, President Putin is briefed on everything without delay," Peskov says.
Ratcliffe warned the Russian side that an escalation of the war in Ukraine would bring the US President closer to Zelenskyy.
During a secret visit to Moscow, John Ratcliffe proposed holding a trilateral meeting between Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and Putin.
Axios reports that this meeting would be aimed at finding ways to end the war in Ukraine.
