US President Donald Trump on Wednesday confirmed that he had sent CIA Director John Ratcliffe to Moscow the day before, expressing hope that the unannounced visit by the intelligence chief could help end the war in Ukraine.
“Maybe something will come of it. We are making significant efforts to end this war,” Trump told conservative radio host Glenn Beck in a telephone interview.
His comments confirm earlier reports that Ratcliffe flew to Moscow on Tuesday for a series of meetings. This was the first visit by a CIA director to Russia since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Ratcliffe’s visit and Kremlin’s reaction
The Kremlin later also confirmed Ratcliffe’s visit, stating that he had arrived for “contacts between special services.” At the same time, the Kremlin did not provide additional details but emphasized that Ratcliffe did not meet with President Vladimir Putin.
When asked by Beck about the assumptions surrounding the trip — from warnings to the Kremlin about the inadmissibility of testing NATO’s resolve to discussing sanctions against Iran — Trump replied: “None of the above.”
“I hate to disappoint people,” the president said, seeking to lower expectations for the trip and calling it “semi-routine.”
Trump has promised to put an end to Russia’s war against Ukraine, but so far he has failed to bring Moscow and Kyiv to a compromise.
Russian officials have repeatedly stated in recent weeks that they also expect a visit from US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who will try to help reach a peace agreement on Ukraine.
“We would like the war in Ukraine to end. Frankly, they both [Russia and Ukraine] want it to end now,” Trump told Beck.
