U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed Wednesday that he had dispatched CIA Director John Ratcliffe to Moscow the day before, expressing hope that the spy chief’s unannounced visit could help end the war in Ukraine.
“Something may come out of it. We’re working very hard to get that war ended,” Trump told conservative radio host Glenn Beck in a telephone interview.
His comments confirm reporting that Ratcliffe flew to Moscow, the first visit to Russia by a CIA chief since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, for a series of “meetings” on Tuesday.
The Kremlin also later confirmed Ratcliffe’s visit, saying he had arrived for “contacts between security services.” The Kremlin did not provide further details, but stressed that Ratcliffe did not meet with President Vladimir Putin.
Asked by Beck to address speculation surrounding the trip — ranging from warnings to the Kremlin against testing NATO resolve to discussions over Iranian sanctions — Trump responded: “None of the above.”
“I hate to disappoint people,” the president said, seeking to temper expectations by describing Ratcliffe’s trip as “sort of semi-routine.”
Trump has vowed to bring an end to Russia’s war against Ukraine, but has struggled to bring Moscow and Kyiv toward a compromise.
Russian officials have repeatedly said in recent weeks that they also expect U.S. special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to visit in an effort to broker peace with Ukraine.
“We would like to see the war with Ukraine end,” Trump told Beck. “Frankly, they both [Russia and Ukraine] want to see it ended at this point.”
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