Ukraine remains cautious, fearing an impending escalation from Russia.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe proposed a trilateral meeting between US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a covert visit to Moscow earlier this week, according to a report by Axios. The proposal was made as the Trump administration seeks to revive efforts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.
It was the first time Ratcliffe had become personally involved in the diplomatic effort to broker a breakthrough between Moscow and Kyiv, according to the sources. Ratcliffe’s visit was partly intended to assess whether Russia’s intelligence chiefs could help persuade Putin to resume US-mediated negotiations with Ukraine.
US officials briefed Zelenskyy on Friday about Ratcliffe’s discussions in Moscow, including the proposal for a three-way summit.
The Trump administration has previously raised the possibility of such a meeting. Zelenskyy has supported the idea, while Putin has rejected it.
Ratcliffe travelled secretly to Moscow on Tuesday, where he met Russia’s foreign intelligence chief Sergey Naryshkin and Federal Security Service (FSB) director Alexander Bortnikov.
President Trump described the CIA chief’s visit as “standard business” and said it was not intended as a warning to Russia against attacking NATO territory.
According to the sources, Ratcliffe also discussed the possibility of restarting peace negotiations during his meetings in Moscow. The New York Times reported that Ratcliffe gave Bortnikov “a bleak assessment” of the war and urged Russia to reach an agreement before its position deteriorated further.
The Axios sources said Ratcliffe came away from the meeting believing Bortnikov could be a constructive figure in efforts to restart diplomatic contacts.
Ukraine remains sceptical about Putin’s willingness to pursue peace. Ukrainian officials have said they have intelligence suggesting Russia is preparing for a major escalation of the war.
Pavlo Palisa, Zelenskyy’s deputy chief of staff, told reporters on Friday that Putin had ordered the Russian military to prepare several operational scenarios for an offensive in northern Ukraine. He said Kyiv and Chernihiv had been identified as key areas.