Oleg Davygora 22:28, 27.08.26 UNIAN
The publication’s sources said he wanted to urge the Russians to make a deal before their military and economic situation worsened
CIA Director John Ratcliffe made a secret visit to Moscow to privately share his grim assessment of the state of Russia’s war against Ukraine, The New York Times reports .
The publication’s sources said he wanted to urge the Russians to make a deal before their military and economic situation worsened.
Ratcliffe conveyed the message to FSB head Alexander Bortnikov and did not threaten the Russian side with possible consequences if Russian President Vladimir Putin ignored the CIA director’s assessment and decided to continue hostilities.
Importantly, CIA analysts have long questioned the honesty of assessments made by Putin’s advisers regarding the trajectory of the war and its scope.
Some officials expressed hope that Putin, himself a former intelligence officer, would view the message from the CIA director as more urgent and credible than messages conveyed through normal diplomatic channels. The article states:
“It is unclear whether Ratcliffe’s message heralds any changes in US policy towards Russia or Ukraine. Ratcliffe’s visit was another attempt by the Trump administration to breathe new life into the stalled talks.”
Given the bleak military and economic reality he presented for Russia, Ratcliffe told Bortnikov that he believed it was time for Moscow to begin serious negotiations to end the war.
He told him that Russia had captured only about 1% of Ukraine’s territory in 18 months, that the average lifespan of a Russian soldier on the front line was less than 35 minutes, and that Ukraine’s “mastery” in drone technology was causing prohibitive costs.
No wonder the meeting was so short, the Moskali got the truth and didn’t like it. Oh well, its on the record now.
That’s typical Taco regime. Caring more for the state of the mafia economy military instead of doing what it can to stomp on it and to worry about Ukraine’s state of being. I spit on Taco and his collection of useful clowns.