Trump personally sent CIA chief to Moscow with specific missions - WSJ
Photo: Donald Trump, President of the United States (Getty Images)
The visit of CIA Director John Ratcliffe to Russia this week took place under heightened secrecy — it was ordered by US President Donald Trump, reports The Wall Street Journal.
According to insiders, the decision to send Ratcliffe to Moscow was made personally by Donald Trump.
Moreover, the White House chief did not inform some of his closest advisers or even the military leadership about the details of the mission.
Washington’s allies in Europe also did not know about the American leader’s plans.
The US president turned to the CIA director after previous attempts to achieve an end to Russia’s war against Ukraine had proved futile.
Trump is concerned that Moscow has intensified its strikes on Ukraine, is increasingly supporting the Iranian regime, and is not demonstrating a willingness to improve economic relations with the United States.
First and foremost, Ratcliffe was supposed to convey to the Kremlin that Washington is not abandoning its commitments under Article 5 of NATO, meaning it is ready to defend its allies in the event of a Russian attack.
After the CIA chief spoke with representatives of Russian intelligence services, Trump made a high-profile public statement.
"He (Russian president Vladimir Putin — ed.) won't attack NATO territory," the US president assured.
Moreover, a separate topic of Ratcliffe’s talks was the possible resumption of dialogue between Ukraine and Russia on ending the war.
Later, the head of Ukraine's President's Office, Kyrylo Budanov, said that the negotiating process could resume as early as September.
The CIA chief also urged Moscow not to deepen its economic and security cooperation with Iran. The appeal came amid increased US sanctions against Tehran.
Trump recently personally commented on the CIA chief’s visit to Moscow.
Russian intelligence chief Sergey Naryshkin revealed details of his meeting with Ratcliffe.
