CIA Director John Ratcliffe pushes for Trump-Putin-Zelensky summit, seeking renewed peace talks as Ukraine warns Russia may escalate the war.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe reportedly used a secret trip to Moscow to push for renewed peace talks and propose a face-to-face meeting between President Trump, Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. While Zelensky appears open to the idea, Putin has resisted such a summit, and Ukrainian officials remain deeply skeptical as they warn Russia may instead be preparing for a major new offensive.
SECRET TALKS IN MOSCOW
Ratcliffe traveled to Moscow on Tuesday and met with Sergey Naryshkin, the head of Russia’s SVR foreign intelligence service, and Alexander Bortnikov, director of the FSB.
Part of Ratcliffe’s mission was reportedly to determine whether senior figures inside Russia’s intelligence establishment could persuade Putin to return to U.S.-mediated negotiations with Ukraine.
President Trump later described Ratcliffe’s visit as “standard business” and said the trip was not intended as a warning to Russia over potential attacks on NATO territory.
THREE-WAY SUMMIT PROPOSED
During the Moscow discussions, Ratcliffe reportedly raised both the possibility of restarting peace negotiations and eventually holding a trilateral meeting involving Trump, Putin and Zelensky.
The Trump administration has considered such a meeting before. Zelensky has signaled that he is willing to participate, while Putin has so far rejected the idea.
U.S. officials briefed Zelensky on Friday about Ratcliffe’s Moscow talks and the summit proposal.
PRESSURE ON MOSCOW
The New York Times separately reported that Ratcliffe delivered a grim assessment of Russia’s position in the war during his meeting with Bortnikov, arguing that Moscow should consider reaching an agreement before its circumstances deteriorate further.
Sources told Axios that Ratcliffe came away believing Bortnikov could potentially play a constructive role in reopening diplomatic channels.
The CIA declined to comment publicly on the discussions.
UKRAINE WARNS PUTIN MAY ESCALATE
Despite the renewed diplomatic push, Ukrainian officials remain highly suspicious of Putin’s intentions.
Zelensky’s deputy chief of staff, Pavlo Palisa, said Friday that Ukrainian intelligence indicates Putin has ordered Russia’s military to prepare several possible scenarios for a new offensive in northern Ukraine. Kyiv and Chernihiv are reportedly among the areas Ukrainian officials believe could be targeted.
That warning raises the possibility that Washington’s push for negotiations could unfold at the same time Russia prepares for another major military operation.
PEACE TALKS COULD RETURN IN SEPTEMBER
U.S.-mediated negotiations between Russia and Ukraine have been stalled since mid-February, when talks were disrupted following the outbreak of the war with Iran.
White House envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have continued holding separate discussions with Russian and Ukrainian negotiators, although those efforts have produced little visible progress.
Zelensky’s chief of staff, Kyrylo Budanov, said Thursday that U.S.-mediated negotiations with Russia could potentially resume as early as September.
ZELENSKY PRAISES U.S. APPROACH
Zelensky offered an encouraging assessment of Washington’s latest diplomatic efforts Friday, thanking the United States for what he described as the appropriate tone in its dealings with Moscow.
The Ukrainian president said the Trump administration is advancing what he considers a realistic approach to determining what must happen for progress toward peace.
For now, however, the biggest obstacle remains unchanged: getting Putin back to the negotiating table. Ratcliffe’s secret Moscow mission suggests the Trump administration is searching for new pressure points inside the Russian government that could finally make that happen.
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