Putin Scrapped Last-Minute Meeting With CIA Chief Over Ukraine War Message

Vladimir Putin had reportedly reserved time to meet CIA Director John Ratcliffe in Moscow, then removed the encounter from his schedule at the last moment. The change allegedly followed briefings on Ratcliffe’s discussions with the heads of Russia’s foreign intelligence and security services.

Ratcliffe visited Moscow on Aug. 25 and met Sergei Naryshkin, head of the Foreign Intelligence Service, and Federal Security Service Director Alexander Bortnikov. His message to the Kremlin was direct: Russia should reach an agreement to end the war in Ukraine as quickly as possible.

The CIA chief reportedly argued that Russia’s military and economic position was steadily deteriorating. From Moscow’s perspective, he said, opening negotiations now would be preferable to waiting until the country’s position weakened further. Earlier reports in The New York Times said Ratcliffe had delivered a “grim assessment” of Russia’s position in the conflict.

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grim assessment

A source cited by the Russian outlet Agentstvo said the message was viewed inside the Kremlin as completely unrealistic and unacceptable, leading to the decision to abandon a direct meeting with Putin. Peskov confirmed that Putin and Ratcliffe did not meet, while saying the president had been kept informed throughout the CIA chief’s discussions.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said he had been briefed on the Moscow talks. He judged that Ratcliffe’s visit had met its objectives, including an effort to ease tensions in the region, although he said the security situation remained tense. Foreign media reports also said Ratcliffe explored the possibility of a three-way summit involving the president, though the provided account does not state whether such a meeting was arranged.

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pushed the regime in the Kremlin into a corner