CIA Director Holds Intelligence Talks With Russia in Moscow, Kremlin Confirms
Key Details of CIA Director's Visit to Moscow
MOSCOW, Aug 26 (Reuters) - U.S. CIA Director John Ratcliffe held talks with Russian intelligence officials during his visit to Moscow on Tuesday but did not meet President Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin said on Wednesday.
Kremlin's Statement on the Meetings
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Putin had been briefed on the outcome of Ratcliffe's talks, which come as the war in Ukraine is escalating and as efforts to reach a lasting peace deal between the U.S. and Iran have stalled.
Details Withheld by Kremlin
Peskov declined to disclose what had been discussed or to provide any further details however.
Official Comments from Kremlin Spokesman
"All I can tell you is that there have been contacts via the security services. I can tell you that there have been no meetings with the Russian president. Naturally, President Putin is kept informed of everything without delay," said Peskov.
Impact on U.S.-Russia Relations
Asked if visits by such senior U.S. officials could help improve the dire state of U.S.-Russia relations, Peskov said that contacts between the two countries' intelligence agencies were a positive thing.
Prospects for Bilateral Relations
"These contacts often continue even during the most difficult periods in bilateral relations. Our president, incidentally, has spoken about this. However, it is still too early to say to what extent this will, overall, help to steer our bilateral relations out of the profound crisis in which they currently find themselves," he said.
Reporting Credits
(Reporting by Dmitry Antonov, Writing by Alessandra Prentice Editing by Andrew Osborn)
