The New York Times: CIA chief Ratcliffe met in Moscow with FSB chief Bortnikov and passe...

The New York Times: CIA chief Ratcliffe met in Moscow with FSB chief Bortnikov and conveyed to him a "bleak assessment" of the consequences of Russia's war against Ukraine.

Details:

▪️Before the trip to Moscow, Ratcliffe spoke with his Ukrainian counterparts, assuring them that he would be exploring Russia's positions, not making concessions on behalf of the Ukrainians.

(Previously, representatives of the Trump administration never informed Ukraine of their plans. Witkoff and Kushner always flew to Moscow and simply presented Kyiv with a fait accompli, - ed. note.)

▪️Ratcliffe was trying to breathe new life into the stalled negotiation process, especially once it became clear that Ukraine was not going to stop fighting for the east even amid reduced U.S. military aid.

▪️Ratcliffe had a separate communication channel with Bortnikov, parallel to the contacts being handled by Witkoff and Kushner. Some officials believed that a message delivered by the CIA chief would be taken more seriously than through traditional diplomatic channels.

▪️At the meeting, Ratcliffe laid out his bleak assessment of Russia's position in its war against Ukraine and urged the Russians to make a deal before the military and economic situation worsens. CIA analysts have long doubted whether Putin is being given an honest assessment of losses and the trajectory of the war.

▪️Ratcliffe told Bortnikov that the time had come for Moscow to engage in serious negotiations to end the war. At the same time, Ratcliffe did not threaten Moscow with any consequences if Putin ignored the CIA chief's message.

Nytimes

C.I.A. Chief Delivered Bleak Assessment of Russia’s War in Secretive Moscow Visit

John Ratcliffe’s meeting this week with a Russian intelligence chief was aimed at pushing the Kremlin to pursue a peace deal with Ukraine.