Donald Trump has said “something may come out of” Tuesday’s unannounced meeting between the head of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and figures from Russia’s intelligence services.
There has been speculation over why John Ratcliffe went to Moscow on Tuesday, arriving on board a military plane and leaving hours later.
The US president did not disclose what was discussed during the unconventional talks, but described the meeting as “semi-routine”, adding that Washington “would like to see the war in Ukraine end”.
The last comparable meeting taking place in the months leading up to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The Kremlin said Ratcliffe had not met Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“There were contacts with the intelligence services,” Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
“There were no meetings with the president of Russia. That’s all I can say on the subject. Naturally, President Putin is briefed immediately about everything,” he added.
Peskov made the comments in response to a question at his daily press briefing from a reporter at the Russian newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta, who asked if Vladimir Putin was informed about the CIA chief meetings and “at what level” they were held.
Putin’s spokesman was also asked by the BBC’s Russia Editor Steve Rosenberg what was the topic of the CIA talks.
“I have nothing to add to what I’ve already said on the subject,” Peskov replied.
Ahead of the trip, the US told Ukraine that a senior delegation would be travelling to Moscow and asked Kyiv to suspend strikes until they had left, a senior Ukrainian official told CBS.
There has been no official comment on Ratcliffe’s visit from the CIA, White House or Pentagon.
Ratcliffe appears to be one of the highest-ranking US officials to visit Russia during President Donald Trump’s second term.
Credit: bbc.com
