CIA Director John Ratcliffe, during his visit to Moscow earlier this week, proposed a three-way meeting between the presidents of the United States, Russia, and Ukraine—Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, and Volodymyr Zelensky, Axios reported on Sunday, August 30, citing two sources. This is the first instance in which Ratcliffe personally participated in diplomatic efforts to achieve peace in Ukraine, Axios notes. According to the publication's sources, Ratcliffe was to determine during the visit whether the leadership of Russian intelligence could persuade Putin to resume negotiations with Ukraine. Ratcliffe concluded that the head of the Federal Security Service (FSB), Alexander Bortnikov, is a "constructive player capable of helping to revive diplomatic efforts," Axios's sources claim. On Friday, U.S. officials informed Zelensky about Ratcliffe's discussions in Moscow and the proposal to hold a three-way summit, Axios writes. The Trump administration had already proposed such a negotiation format, but Putin rejected the offer, the publication reminds. ## ## Goals of the CIA Director's Visit to Moscow Ratcliffe arrived in Russia aboard a U.S. Air Force Boeing C-17 Globemaster III transport plane on August 25, and left the country just a few hours later. The visit was so secretive that even some high-ranking officials in the White House were unaware of the trip, The Wall Street Journal reported. Politico, citing three sources, reported that the primary goal of Ratcliffe's visit to Moscow was to convey a message to the Russian side about the inadmissibility of attacking U.S. NATO allies. According to The New York Times, during his visit to Moscow, Ratcliffe shared with FSB head Alexander Bortnikov his "bleak assessment" of Russia's situation in the war in Ukraine and urged Moscow to begin negotiations before the military and economic situation worsens even further.
