According to the publication’s sources, he sought to urge Russian representatives to reach an agreement before the country’s military and economic situation deteriorated further.
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J. Ratcliffe conveyed this message to the head of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), Alexander Bortnikov. As stated in the article, the CIA director did not threaten Russia with possible consequences if President Vladimir Putin ignored his assessment and decided to continue the war.
It is important that CIA analysts have long doubted whether Putin’s advisers honestly portray the course of the war and its true scale to him.
Some officials expressed hope that Putin himself, who previously worked in intelligence, would consider the message delivered by the CIA director more urgent and reliable than reports received through usual diplomatic channels.
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“It is unclear whether Ratcliffe’s message predicts any changes in US policy towards Russia or Ukraine. Ratcliffe’s visit was another attempt by the Trump administration to revive stalled negotiations,” the article states.
Presenting what he considered a grim Russian military and economic reality, J. Ratcliffe told A. Bortnikov that he believed the time had come for Moscow to start serious negotiations to end the war.
He pointed out that over 18 months Russia had occupied only about 1% of the entire territory of Ukraine, the average lifespan of a Russian soldier on the front line is less than 35 minutes, and Ukraine’s skillful use of drone technology is causing Moscow huge losses.
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