FT: Ratcliffe may replace Witkoff and Kushner in talks between Russia, Ukraine, and the U.S.

FT: Ratcliffe may replace Witkoff and Kushner in talks between Russia, Ukraine, and the U.S.

The Financial Times writes that CIA Director John Ratcliffe could play a larger role in Russia-Ukraine negotiations, replacing Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on the negotiating team, but U.S. President Donald Trump has not yet made a final decision on the matter.

According to Financial Times sources, the White House has long been considering the possibility of changing the negotiating team's composition. The publication notes that a struggle even broke out between Ratcliffe and Witkoff over the role of chief U.S. representative at the talks.

FT also writes that Putin and Trump discussed possible changes to the negotiating team during yesterday's phone call.

🔵Ratcliffe visited Moscow on August 25. It was reported that he held talks with SVR head Sergei Naryshkin and FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov. After one of those meetings, the contents of Ratcliffe's message were allegedly conveyed to Putin, and he refused to meet with him, a source close to the Kremlin told Agentstvo. According to the publication's interlocutor, Ratcliffe urged the Russian leadership to reach an agreement on ending the war as soon as possible. Axios wrote that the CIA director proposed holding a summit between Trump, Putin, and Zelensky. Donald Trump later described the visit as “an ordinary working meeting.”

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