U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed Wednesday that he had dispatched CIA Director John Ratcliffe to Moscow the day before, expressing hope that the spy chief’s unannounced visit could help end the war in Ukraine.
“Something may come out of it. We’re working very hard to get that war ended,” Trump told conservative radio host Glenn Beck in a telephone interview.
His comments confirm reporting that Ratcliffe flew to Moscow, the first visit to Russia by a CIA chief since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, for a series of “meetings” on Tuesday.
The Kremlin also later confirmed Ratcliffe’s visit, saying he had arrived for “contacts between security services.” The Kremlin did not provide further details, but stressed that Ratcliffe did not meet with President Vladimir Putin.
Asked by Beck to address speculation surrounding the trip — ranging from warnings to the Kremlin against testing NATO resolve to discussions over Iranian sanctions — Trump responded: “None of the above.”
