Russian Spy Chief Says Meeting With CIA Director Was ‘Nothing Special’ - The Moscow Times

Sergei Naryshkin, the head of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), confirmed Thursday that he met with CIA Director John Ratcliffe in Moscow earlier this week but otherwise sought to downplay the significance of the talks.

“The meeting took place, and there’s nothing special about it,” Naryshkin told state media reporters two days after Ratcliffe’s rare and unannounced trip to Russia on Tuesday.

Ratcliffe’s flight marks the first visit to Russia by a CIA chief since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Naryshkin said he and Ratcliffe discussed “a range of issues that fall within the scope of our intelligence services” as part of a “standard working format,” but did not provide further details.

He described the work of intelligence agencies as “a delicate and special thing,” and noted that he meets with spy chiefs from other countries “almost every week, whether face-to-face or online.”