The Kremlin representative did not detail what was discussed.
American media reported that on Tuesday J. Radcliffe traveled to Moscow on an unannounced visit and became one of the highest-ranking US officials to visit Russia since the war in Ukraine began in 2022.
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“There were contacts through intelligence agencies, but there were no meetings with the Russian president,” said Kremlin press representative Dmitry Peskov.
He stated that V. Putin was informed about the negotiations, but the representative refused to say whether the issue of the war in Ukraine was raised.
The visit took place as Moscow intensified its offensive – this summer the number of civilian casualties sharply increased due to attacks, and US-mediated peace talks have long been stalled.
“Contacts through intelligence services are in themselves a positive development. It is still too early to say how this will affect the process of resolving our relationship crisis,” said D. Peskov.
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The last time the CIA director visited Moscow was in November 2021, when William Burns, who held the position at the time, warned Russia not to send troops to Ukraine. A few months later, the Kremlin launched an invasion that became the largest conflict in Europe since World War II.
The CIA has also been involved in agreements with Russia regarding prisoner exchanges, such as the large swap in mid-2024.
The White House and the CIA have not yet commented on this visit.
The US asked Ukraine not to attack Moscow or Saint Petersburg while J. Ratcliffe is visiting Russia, a source with information told the Ukrainian portal “The Kyiv Independent”.
The war in Ukraine has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, and the Kremlin refuses to soften its maximalist demands to occupy the remaining part of Eastern Ukraine.
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