The Kremlin confirmed on Wednesday that US foreign intelligence chief John Ratcliffe had held a series of high-level talks the previous day in Moscow, but denied reports that he had spoken with President Vladimir Putin.
CIA Director Ratcliffe had “contacts between security services,” according to Russian government spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Peskov said that President Putin had been “informed without delay” as to the content of the talks, but had not attended the meetings.
He added that he was unsure if the discussions could move US-Russian relations out of their current “profound crisis” and would not confirm if the group had discussed the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Talks come as Iran truce stalls
Multiple US outlets reported on Ratcliffe’s visit, but US President Donald Trump’s administration has yet to comment on the trip. There were however photos of Ratcliffe’s military plane landing in Latvia shortly before the meetings.
The last time a CIA director visited Moscow was Ratcliffe’s predecessor William Burns in November 2021. Russia launched its war against Ukraine three months later in February 2022.
Tuesday’s talks came as truce negotiations between the US and Iran have stalled. Moscow had previously offered to act as a broker between the two parties over the conflict.
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Edited by: Wesley Dockery
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