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The head of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) John Ratcliffe has met Russia’s intelligence services during his visit to Moscow, the Kremlin has said. <\/b><\/p>\n
Ratcliffe travelled to the Russian capital on Tuesday in a rare and unannounced visit. <\/p>\n
“There were contacts with the intelligence services,” Vladimir Putin’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters. <\/p>\n
“There were no meetings with the president of Russia. That’s all I can say on the subject. Naturally, President Putin is briefed immediately about everything,” he added. <\/p>\n
Peskov made the comments in response to a question at his daily press briefing from a reporter at the Russian newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta, who asked if Vladimir Putin was informed about the CIA chief meetings and “at what level” they were held. <\/p>\n
Putin’s spokesman was also asked by the BBC’s Russia Editor Steve Rosenberg what was the topic of the CIA talks. <\/p>\n
“I have nothing to add to what I’ve already said on the subject,” Peskov replied. <\/p>\n
It was too early to say what impact this meeting would have over repairing bilateral US Russian relations, he said. <\/p>\n
“How much this will impact the overall process of recovering our bilateral relations from the profound crisis they’re currently in, it is premature to say.”<\/p>\n
But contacts between intelligence agencies are “a positive phenomenon, a positive process,” Peskov added, saying they often continue “even during the most difficult moments” in relations between the two countries. <\/p>\n
Ratcliffe appears to be one of the highest-ranking US officials to visit Russia during President Donald Trump’s second term.<\/p>\n
In-person talks between high-level American and Russian officials are rare.<\/p>\n
The last time a CIA director visited Moscow was in November 2021 – when William Burns warned Russia against sending troops into Ukraine. Weeks later, the Kremlin launched its full-scale war on Ukraine. <\/p>\n
Since then, the US has had strained relations with Russia, which has been isolated on the world stage and faced international economic sanctions.<\/p>\n