Dmitri Peskov denies that the CIA director met with Vladimir Putin

John Ratcliffe, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States, made a visit to Moscow for discussions with officials of the Russian security services, according to a statement from Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov.

This is likely his first trip to Russia since taking office, with the visit occurring in the context of international tensions generated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Although Peskov confirmed the meetings, he specified that Ratcliffe did not meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The visit was marked by irony from Russian commentators, who questioned the Kremlin's lack of information regarding the landing of an American military plane in Moscow.

Sources indicated that Washington asked Kyiv not to launch attacks on Moscow during the visit, and discussions reportedly included topics such as halting attacks on energy facilities and ports in Ukraine and Russia, as well as a possible ceasefire in the Sumy and Kharkiv regions. This meeting was interpreted as a warning to Moscow regarding its mobilization and intentions to test NATO's resolve.