Trump on CIA Director Ratcliffe’s visit to Russia: US wants peace in Ukraine; perhaps "something will come of it"
US President Donald Trump has stated that CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s visit to Russia could yield "certain results", as Washington is doing everything in its power to bring the war in Ukraine to an end.
He said this in an interview with radio presenter Glenn Beck, according to Censor.NET.
Trump has denied the rumours
The presenter asked Trump to clarify the situation in light of rumours which he described as "simply crazy" — in particular, that the Russian dictator Putin was allegedly planning to test NATO’s resolve, a possible strike on Britain, or that the CIA director had come to issue a warning regarding sanctions against Iran.
Trump’s response
When asked why the director of the CIA had flown out in the middle of the night to meet with the Russians, Trump replied that none of these accounts was true.
"None of that," said the US President, adding that it was a "semi-routine visit".
"I don’t want to disappoint anyone. We would like to see the war in Ukraine end as soon as possible. This war would never have started, Glenn, if I had been president," Trump said.
The US leader also described Ratcliffe as a "fantastic bloke" who heads the CIA, and noted that he was in Moscow for reasons other than those the presenter had asked about — although, according to Trump, "maybe something will come of it". He added that the US is working hard to bring the war in Ukraine to an end, and, in his view, both sides in the conflict currently want peace.
What led up to it?
- CIA Director John Ratcliffe arrived in Moscow on 25 August to hold talks with Russian officials.
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Russian media report that a very large-scale event involving hundreds of people had been scheduled for Putin, but it was postponed a few days ago.
- The US has asked Ukraine to refrain from attacks on Moscow, St Petersburg and northern Russia due to a visit by its officials.
- According to media reports, Retcliffe may have warned Putin of the consequences of a new mobilisation and an attack on NATO.
- It should be noted that CIA Director William Burns last visited Russia in person in November 2021 to warn against military action against Ukraine and to ascertain the reasons behind the build-up of Russian troops near the borders.
