Trump downplays CIA chief’s Moscow trip as “sort of semi-routine”

CIA Director John Ratcliffe held talks with his Russian intelligence counterparts in Moscow, the Kremlin said on August 26, in a rare and closely guarded visit as tensions between Washington and Moscow remain high over Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Russian state news agencies reported that a US military aircraft landed at Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport on August 25 and departed later the same day.

US President Donald Trump sought to downplay the significance of Ratcliffe’s trip, describing it as “sort of semi-routine.”

“I hate to disappoint people,” Trump said during an interview with conservative broadcaster Glenn Beck.

The Kremlin did not disclose details of Ratcliffe’s meetings or the subjects discussed.

A senior Ukrainian official said that Washington had informed Kyiv in advance that a US delegation would travel to Moscow and asked Ukrainian forces to suspend strikes while it was there.

According to the official, the request did not cover all of Russia but specifically applied to Moscow, St. Petersburg and several northern regions. Strikes on other parts of Russian territory continued, the official said.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

By Vafa Guliyeva