Donald Trump called CIA Director John Ratcliffe's unannounced Tuesday visit to Moscow "semi-routine" in a Wednesday interview with conservative talk show host Glenn Beck. Reports cited by The Hill said the CIA director had warned Russia against attacking NATO.
How did the president describe the trip? Trump, whom Beck asked about "speculation that is crazy" surrounding the visit, said he hated "to disappoint people" but that none of the rumours were accurate, the BBC reported. He did not disclose what was discussed during the talks, but said "something may come out of" the meeting. Washington "would like to see the war in Ukraine end," he said.
What did the Kremlin say? Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov told reporters there "were contacts with the intelligence services" but "no meetings with the president of Russia," adding that President Putin "is briefed immediately about everything," the BBC reported. Asked about the topic of the talks, Peskov said he had "nothing to add" to what he had already said. He called contacts between intelligence agencies "a positive phenomenon, a positive process" that often continue "even during the most difficult moments" in relations between the two countries.
What else is known about the visit? Ratcliffe's visit came during an increase in Russian aggression toward NATO allies over the past year, including drone or military aircraft flights over Poland, Romania and Latvia, the BBC reported. Analysts said the trip was likely made to issue a blunt warning to Moscow to stop its non-conventional warfare campaign against NATO countries, though Russia experts said it was unclear whether Moscow would heed any such warning. Ratcliffe arrived on board a military plane and left hours later, in the first visit to Moscow by a CIA director since November 2021, when William Burns warned Russia against sending troops into Ukraine.
Figures referenced: Donald Trump. — JudgeMarket.
