CIA Director John Ratcliffe proposed holding a trilateral meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and Russian leader Vladimir Putin during a secret visit to Moscow. Axios reports this, citing two informed sources, writes UNN.
Details
According to the publication, Ratcliffe raised the possibility of resuming negotiations between Ukraine and the Russian Federation with U.S. mediation. His trip was partly intended to determine whether the heads of Russia’s intelligence services could influence Putin and persuade him to return to negotiations.
On Friday, U.S. officials briefed Zelenskyy on the results of Ratcliffe’s talks in Moscow and his proposal for a trilateral summit. Washington had already put forward such an idea earlier – Zelenskyy supported it, while Putin rejected it.
Ratcliffe attempted to revive the diplomatic process
During a secret trip to Moscow on Tuesday, the CIA director met with the head of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, Sergei Naryshkin, and FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov. According to Axios, after the talks Ratcliffe concluded that Bortnikov could help revive diplomatic efforts.
The US informed Ukraine about a series of meetings in Moscow - Zelenskyy28.08.26, 19:31
At the same time, Ukrainian officials are skeptical about Putin’s readiness to reach agreements. According to their information, Russia’s leadership is instead considering scenarios involving further escalation and possible offensive actions in northern Ukraine.
The negotiating process mediated by the United States effectively stalled in mid-February. At the same time, Kyiv allows for contacts with the Russian side under U.S. mediation to resume as early as September.
Reminder
CIA Director John Ratcliffe secretly visited Moscow this week, where he met with FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov. During the meeting, the U.S. official conveyed to the Russian side a bleak assessment of Russia’s military and economic situation and urged the Kremlin to seriously consider the possibility of ending the war against Ukraine.