Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov dismisses reports that Putin refused to meet CIA chief John Ratcliffe during his August 25 Moscow visit.
© Vyacheslav Prokofyev/Russian Presidential Press and Information Office
Putin refused to meet CIA chief John Ratcliffe, according to reports circulating in Western media, but Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov has rejected those claims. The Times of Russia reports that Ushakov said there had been no plans for Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet the CIA director during his visit to Moscow.
Ushakov said that John Ratcliffe instead held meetings with senior figures from the Russian intelligence community.
“As far as I know, there were no such plans. The CIA director met with senior officials from the Russian intelligence community,” Ushakov said in a comment to Life journalist Alexander Yunashev.
Kremlin Responds to Putin Refused to Meet CIA Chief Reports
The comments from Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov directly addressed reports suggesting that Putin had declined a meeting with the CIA director.
Ushakov stressed that the discussions between Ratcliffe and Russian intelligence officials were confidential and strictly official. He said he was therefore not in a position to disclose details or comment on the substance of the talks.
“This is why I don’t have the right to tell you about their essence, let alone comment on them,” he added.
The statement provides the Kremlin’s response to the reports surrounding the alleged Putin CIA chief meeting.
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John Ratcliffe Moscow Visit Took Place on August 25
The CIA director visit to Moscow took place on August 25, when John Ratcliffe traveled to the Russian capital.
Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov previously said that Ratcliffe’s trip was part of communication between the intelligence agencies of the two countries.
The visit was also confirmed by Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Director Sergey Naryshkin, who said that he had met with the CIA director during his time in Moscow.
What Yury Ushakov Said About the Reported Meeting
According to Ushakov, there were no plans for Putin to meet Ratcliffe. Instead, the CIA director’s discussions were held with senior members of the Russian intelligence community.
The Kremlin aide declined to provide further details about the confidential conversations, maintaining that he could not discuss their substance.
The developments have drawn attention to the Putin Ratcliffe meeting rumors, particularly following Ratcliffe’s visit to Moscow and his meeting with Sergey Naryshkin.
For readers following international diplomatic developments, the Moscow visit remains notable for the confirmed contact between US and Russian intelligence representatives.
Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov has dismissed reports that Putin refused to meet CIA chief John Ratcliffe during the CIA director’s August 25 visit to Moscow. Ushakov said there had been no plans for such a meeting and confirmed that Ratcliffe instead met with senior Russian intelligence officials.
Dmitry Peskov said the visit was part of communication between the intelligence agencies of Russia and the United States, while Sergey Naryshkin confirmed that he met the CIA director in Moscow.
The Times of Russia will continue to provide coverage of significant international and diplomatic developments.
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