CIA Director John Ratcliffe, during his visit to Moscow on August 25, shared with the head of the Federal Security Service (FSB), Alexander Bortnikov, "his gloomy assessment" of Russia's situation in the war in Ukraine and urged Moscow to start negotiations before the military and economic situation worsens even further. This was reported on Thursday, August 27, by The New York Times (NYT), citing current and former U.S. officials. Some of the newspaper's sources explained Bortnikov's selection as an intermediary in communication with Russian President Vladimir Putin by stating that the Russian leader, as a former intelligence officer, would perceive information from the CIA director as more trustworthy than data coming through regular diplomatic channels. NYT also reported that the communication channel between Ratcliffe and Bortnikov operates independently of others. ## ## Ratcliffe Informed Bortnikov About Heavy Losses and Slow Progress of the Russian Army As NYT points out, CIA officials doubt that Putin is being provided with reliable information about the course of the war and the scale of losses of the Russian army. The content of the message Ratcliffe conveyed to Bortnikov is not disclosed by the newspaper, but it notes that it "echoed some public statements" made by the CIA director. For instance, in July, Ratcliffe stated that over the past year and a half, Russia has captured only about 1% of Ukrainian territory, attributing this to the successful development of the UAV sector in the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). Additionally, he claimed that the life expectancy of a Russian soldier on the front line does not exceed 35 minutes. At the same time, the CIA director did not voice threats about possible consequences if Putin ignores the message from the U.S. and does not cease hostilities during his meeting with the FSB head. It is also noted that before meeting with Bortnikov, Ratcliffe spoke with representatives of Ukraine, assuring them that he intended to explore Moscow's position rather than negotiate concessions on behalf of Kyiv. ## ## Versions of the Purpose of John Ratcliffe's Visit to Moscow Vary Ratcliffe arrived in Russia aboard a U.S. Air Force Boeing C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft on August 25, and just a few hours later left the country. The Washington Post claimed that the CIA chief's visit was related to "contacts between intelligence agencies." Later, Politico, citing three sources, stated that the primary purpose of Ratcliffe's visit to Moscow was to convey a message to the Russian side about the inadmissibility of attacking U.S. NATO allies, particularly concerning Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Russian President's Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov, commenting on Ratcliffe's visit, said that he did not hold meetings with the head of state. The head of the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), Sergey Naryshkin, confirmed his meeting with the CIA chief but emphasized that there was "nothing unusual" about it. U.S. President Donald Trump also referred to Ratcliffe's trip to Moscow as "a routine matter," noting that he meets with Naryshkin "once every six months or once a year."
