Putin canceled a meeting with the CIA director over his stance on the war in Ukraine
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin canceled a planned face-to-face meeting with CIA Director John Retcliffe during the latter’s visit to Moscow on August 25. According to media reports, the reason was the U.S. official’s stance on Russia’s war against Ukraine.
During his stay in Russia, John Ratcliffe held talks with Sergei Naryshkin, Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service, and Alexander Bortnikov, Head of the FSB.
The main goal of the visit, as noted, was to convince the Russian leadership to agree as soon as possible to end the war against Ukraine.
U.S. intelligence assessed that Russia’s military and economic situation is deteriorating; therefore, in the U.S. view, it is in Moscow’s best interest to reach an agreement now rather than wait for further weakening.
During the meeting with Bortnikov, Retcliffe, according to the publication, conveyed his own “bleak assessment” of Russia’s situation in the war.
Initially, Putin reportedly planned to meet personally with the CIA director and had even set aside time in his schedule for this.
However, after one of Retcliffe’s meetings with Russian intelligence chiefs, the content of the conversation was promptly relayed to the Kremlin leader. Following this, Putin decided that a face-to-face meeting with the U.S. representative was not advisable.
According to a source close to the Kremlin, Retcliffe’s stance irritated the Russian leadership.
“His message made it seem as if Zelenskyy (the president of Ukraine—Ed.) was already standing on Poklonnaya Hill, looking at the Kremlin through binoculars. Everyone understands that this isn’t the case,” the source said.
The source also stated that Moscow interpreted the CIA director’s words as if “Retcliffe had the wrong address.”
At the same time, the Kremlin reportedly does not understand to what extent the position of the head of U.S. intelligence aligns with the official stance of President Donald Trump’s administration.
Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, confirmed that the Russian dictator had not met with John Retcliffe.
At the same time, he stated that the Kremlin leader was promptly briefed on the American official’s talks with the Russian side.
“Of course, President Putin is briefed on everything without delay,” Peskov said.
According to “The Agency,” during the talks, Ratcliffe also warned the Russian side that further escalation of the war against Ukraine could bring U.S. President Donald Trump closer to Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Thus, the CIA director’s visit to Moscow concluded with talks with the heads of Russian intelligence agencies, but without the planned face-to-face meeting with Putin.
This is reported by Russian media.
Vladimir Putin likely made the decision to further escalate the war after several weeks of deliberation this summer. As The Economist writes, the Russian dictator may be seeking to preserve his power and his life through this escalation.
As a reminder, on the afternoon of August 30, Russian troops attacked Kyiv with strike drones. Explosions were heard in the capital, and air defense forces engaged enemy targets.
In Kyiv’s Shevchenkivskyi district, a fire broke out in a non-residential building as a result of the Russian drone attack. Emergency services are on the scene, dealing with the aftermath of the strike.
In Kyiv, rescue workers extinguished a large-scale fire that broke out in the Holosiivskyi district following a Russian attack on the morning of August 30. The fire engulfed a non-residential building covering an area of about 3,000 square meters; there were no casualties or injuries.
