The President of Lithuania confirmed that he was aware of the CIA director's visit to Russia
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda stated that Vilnius had been aware of CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s planned visit to Moscow the day before. According to him, the allies promised to provide details about the meeting, its purpose, and its results as early as next week.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda confirmed that he was aware of CIA Director John Retcliffe’s trip to Moscow even before it took place. The Lithuanian president made these remarks on Wednesday in Vilnius during a joint press conference with European Council President António Costa.
Journalists asked Nausėda whether he knew about Ratcliffe’s planned visit to Russia on August 25, as well as whether he was aware of the details of the U.S. official’s discussions in Moscow. Nausėda replied that he had indeed been informed of the meeting in advance. “I’ll keep my answer brief. As for the meeting—yes, we knew about it,” said the Lithuanian president.
At the same time, he declined to disclose details of the talks. According to Nausėda, this is primarily a meeting between representatives of the U.S. and Russia, so its content should be discussed directly between the parties. At the same time, the Lithuanian president noted that the allies had promised to provide their partners with information about the talks without significant delay. “Our partners have informed us that information regarding this meeting, its purpose, and content will be shared with us without delay—practically next week,” Nausėda stated.
He also suggested that the main topic of discussion might have been reducing global tensions. “I can only assume that this meeting is dedicated to reducing geopolitical tensions, and I am very positive about this,” said the Lithuanian president.
However, Nausėda did not specify the exact purpose of Retcliffe’s trip or what exactly was discussed during his talks in Moscow. Separately, journalists asked European Council President António Costa about this situation. However, he declined to comment on the CIA director’s visit to the Russian capital.
What is known about Retcliffe’s trip
CIA Director John Retcliffe visited Moscow on August 25. News of his trip emerged amid diplomatic contacts between the U.S. and Russia. The American official’s itinerary drew particular attention. Before traveling to Moscow, his plane had stopped in Riga, prompting journalists to ask Nausėda separately whether he knew why Retcliffe had traveled to Russia from there.
The Lithuanian president did not disclose any details on this matter. Nausėda also emphasized that he expects his allies to provide information on the results of the meeting in the coming days. At that time, partners should receive more details regarding the purpose and content of the talks.
So far, there is no official information regarding specific agreements between the U.S. and Russia following Retcliffe’s visit. Lithuanian authorities have also not disclosed whether Russia’s war against Ukraine was discussed during the meeting.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe did not meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin during his visit to Moscow.
