Trump secretly ordered CIA chief to Moscow, bypassing aides

CIA Director John Ratcliffe recently made a clandestine visit to Moscow, a mission personally directed by President Donald Trump. The trip was kept under wraps, even from Trump's most trusted advisors and senior military officials, according to reports from The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and The New York Times.

This high-level contact, involving direct engagement with Russian intelligence chiefs, represents an alternative channel to previous diplomatic efforts. It comes after earlier negotiations, including those involving White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, failed to de-escalate the ongoing conflict. Russia's continued military actions in Ukraine and its support for Iran, coupled with resistance to U.S. economic overtures, appear to have prompted Trump to utilize his intelligence chief.

According to officials cited by The Wall Street Journal, the highly sensitive nature of Ratcliffe's mission meant that standard briefing protocols were bypassed. The specific message intended for the Kremlin was not disclosed in advance to key personnel. Reports indicate Ratcliffe traveled to Moscow on an unmarked U.S. Air Force C-17 transport plane, departing from Latvia.

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Russia assesses that we are exhausted and unable to intervene.

During his roughly eight-and-a-half-hour stay in Moscow, Ratcliffe reportedly reiterated the U.S. commitment to NATO's Article 5 collective defense. Discussions also touched upon reviving negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. Furthermore, amid escalating U.S. economic pressure on Iran, Ratcliffe urged Moscow to refrain from deepening its economic or security ties with Tehran.

Intelligence assessments suggested that the Kremlin perceived the prolonged war in Iran as weakening America's strategic position, potentially emboldening Russia to act against U.S. interests and European allies. Sources indicated the visit was less about Putin's struggles with the Ukraine conflict and more about Russia's assessment of American exhaustion. Ratcliffe reportedly warned Moscow that further escalation in Ukraine could backfire, potentially pushing Trump towards stronger support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He conveyed a pessimistic outlook on the war's current state to FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov, urging serious negotiations before Russia's military and economic situation deteriorates further.

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He conveyed a pessimistic assessment of the current state of Russia's war to FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov, suggesting that Moscow should seriously negotiate an end to the war before its military and economic situation deteriorates further.