FBI Director Kash Patel plans to visit Russia in the fall
Kyiv • UNN
FBI Director Kash Patel plans to visit Moscow and St. Petersburg on October 14-15. The visit is being prepared amid tense relations between the United States and Russia.
Director of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation Kash Patel plans to visit Russia in the fall, which could take place in mid-October. This is reported by Politico, citing an American official and a source familiar with the plans, writes UNN.
Details
According to the publication, the trip is preliminarily scheduled for October 14-15. Patel intends to visit Moscow and St. Petersburg. The likely host will be the Federal Security Service of Russia (FSB).
It is currently unknown whether the visit program includes a meeting with the dictator of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, or other high-ranking officials of the Russian government. The agenda of possible negotiations is also not disclosed. Politico notes that the travel plans remain preliminary and may change.
The visit is being prepared amid tense relations between the U.S. and Russia
As Politico notes, the possible visit takes place against the backdrop of a lack of progress in negotiations between Washington and Moscow on ending the war in Ukraine, as well as calls from U.S. lawmakers to strengthen sanctions against Russia.
The publication recalls that Kash Patel is a longtime critic of the investigation into possible ties between Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and Russia, calling it a "Russiagate hoax." Before being appointed FBI director, he worked on the U.S. House Intelligence Committee and the National Security Council.
According to Politico, the last FBI director known to have visited Russia was Robert Mueller in 2013. He later led the special investigation into possible Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.