WSJ: Trump Personally Sent The CIA Director To Moscow On A Special Mission
- 28.08.2026, 9:43
The task was to convince Putin to end the war.
U.S. President Donald Trump personally sent Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director John Ratcliffe to Moscow for talks, according to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported, citing informed sources. According to them, the White House chief did not inform his trusted aides and military leaders in advance, leaving them in the dark about the message Ratcliffe was carrying to Russia.
Sources familiar with the visit told The New York Times (NYT) that the CIA director met in Moscow with the head of the Federal Security Service (FSB) Alexander Bortnikov. He shared a “bleak” assessment of the situation on the front lines in Ukraine and called for an agreement to end the war before Russia’s military and economic situation deteriorates. Before meeting with the FSB chief, Ratcliffe, according to NYT sources, held talks with the Ukrainian side and assured them that he would examine Moscow’s position rather than make concessions.
The CIA director made an unexpected visit to Russia on August 25. The Kremlin initially claimed to know nothing about the U.S. Air Force plane that had landed at Vnukovo, but later confirmed Ratcliffe’s arrival for “contacts between intelligence agencies.” The head of the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), Sergey Naryshkin, spoke about his meeting with the CIA director, noting that he had discussed with him “a number of issues that fall within the purview of intelligence services.”
Prior to this, the WSJ and Politico, citing sources, reported that Ratcliffe, during meetings with representatives of Russian intelligence agencies, warned Moscow against attacking NATO countries. In particular, the discussion focused on the unacceptability of aggression against Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, which border Russia. In addition, the CIA director called on Russia not to provide military and economic support to Iran.
Trump described Ratcliffe’s visit to Russia as a “routine working meeting.” However, upon his return to Washington, the CIA director attended a closed-door meeting between the White House and senior defense officials, which was attended by Pentagon chief Pete Hegset and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Kane. The meeting lasted about three hours.