Russia says CIA chief Ratcliffe did not meet Putin during Moscow visit
US 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 US President Donald Trump described as “semi-routine”.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Putin had been briefed on the outcome of Tuesday’s visit, which came as the war in Ukraine drags on and as efforts to reach a lasting peace between the United States and Iran have stalled.
Peskov declined to say what had been discussed or to provide any further details.
“All I can tell you is that there have been contacts via the security services. I can tell you that there have been no meetings with the Russian president. Naturally, President Putin is kept informed of everything without delay,” Peskov said.
Trump, in a radio interview on Wednesday, did not say specifically why Ratcliffe had travelled to Moscow but said it could prove useful.
“Now something may come … out of it. We’re working very hard to get that war ended,” Trump told the Glenn Beck Programme, referring to the war in Ukraine.