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CIA Director John Ratcliffe proposed a three-way meeting involving U.S. President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin during his secret visit to Moscow, Axios reports.
The meeting would aim to revive U.S.-mediated diplomacy and potentially pave the way toward ending the war.
According to the report, this was the first time Ratcliffe had personally become involved in diplomatic efforts to break the deadlock between Ukraine and Russia.
Ratcliffe met Russia’s intelligence chiefs
Ratcliffe’s visit was partly intended to determine whether Russia’s intelligence leadership could help persuade Putin to resume negotiations with U.S. mediation.
During the trip, Ratcliffe met Sergei Naryshkin, head of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, and Alexander Bortnikov, director of the FSB.
Sources told Axios that Ratcliffe came away viewing Bortnikov as a potentially constructive figure who could help restart diplomatic efforts.
The New York Times previously reported that Ratcliffe gave Bortnikov a “bleak assessment” of the war and urged Russia to reach an agreement before the situation deteriorates further.
Ukrainian officials, however, remain skeptical of Putin’s intentions and say they have intelligence indicating that the Russian leader is preparing for a major escalation of the war.
Negotiations remain stalled
U.S.-brokered negotiations between Ukraine and Russia were suspended in mid-February after the outbreak of the war with Iran.
In recent months, Trump’s special representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have held separate talks with Russian and Ukrainian officials, but they have failed to achieve a significant breakthrough.
At the same time, Head of the Office of the President Kyrylo Budanov said negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow could resume as early as September.
Zelenskyy has also thanked Washington for maintaining what he called the necessary tone in discussions with Russia, saying the Trump administration is promoting a realistic vision of what needs to be achieved to end the war.
