CIA Director John Ratcliffe reportedly proposed bringing Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Vladimir Zelensky together for trilateral talks during a covert visit to Moscow. While the details remain largely undisclosed, confirmation of direct meetings between senior US and Russian intelligence chiefs suggests that channels between Washington and Moscow are operating behind the scenes despite the continuing Ukraine conflict.
INR Report: Based on reporting by RT HERE
CIA Director John Ratcliffe proposed a trilateral meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin, US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky during his unannounced visit to Moscow, according to an Axios report cited by RT.
Ratcliffe travelled to Moscow on August 25 in a visit that was not announced in advance. The following day, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that contacts had taken place between Russian and American intelligence services, although he said Putin had not personally met the CIA director.
Peskov nevertheless indicated that the Russian president was being kept informed.
“Of course, President Putin is immediately briefed on everything.”
Peskov described the intelligence contact as a “positive phenomenon”, while declining to disclose further details.
Russia Confirms Intelligence-Level Meeting
Russian Foreign Intelligence Service chief Sergei Naryshkin subsequently confirmed that he had met Ratcliffe in Moscow.
Naryshkin said their discussions concerned matters involving the two countries' intelligence services. According to Axios, Ratcliffe also met Alexander Bortnikov, director of Russia's Federal Security Service, or FSB.
That makes the visit considerably more significant than an informal diplomatic contact. It placed the head of America's principal foreign intelligence agency directly across the table from senior figures in both of Russia's major security and intelligence organisations.
According to the report, Ratcliffe used those meetings not only to discuss intelligence matters but also to explore restarting negotiations over Ukraine.
A Three-Leader Meeting
US officials reportedly briefed Zelensky following Ratcliffe's Moscow visit and informed him about the proposal for a trilateral summit.
Such a meeting would put Trump, Putin and Zelensky at the same table in what would potentially become one of the most significant diplomatic encounters since the Ukraine conflict escalated in February 2022.
There is, however, an important distinction between proposing a summit and securing agreement to hold one.
The material supplied by RT does not establish that Putin or Zelensky has accepted Ratcliffe's proposal, nor does it provide a prospective date or venue. At this stage, the reported summit should therefore be regarded as an initiative being explored rather than an agreed diplomatic event.
Trump Calls Moscow Visit ‘Semi-Routine’
Trump had already acknowledged Ratcliffe's trip, although he characterised it in considerably less dramatic terms.
Speaking with US talk-show host Glenn Beck, Trump described the CIA director's Moscow mission as “semi-routine.”
When asked whether the visit concerned Putin potentially testing NATO's resolve or whether Ratcliffe had discussed American sanctions against Iran, Trump responded:
“None of the above.”
The comments left the purpose of the mission unexplained publicly at the time.
If the Axios account is accurate, however, the visit appears to have included discussions considerably broader than routine intelligence liaison.
Intelligence Channels Reopening
Ratcliffe's visit also carries historical significance.
It was the first known visit to Moscow by a serving CIA director since William Burns travelled there in November 2021 — only months before Russia launched its full-scale military operation in Ukraine.
The last publicly known face-to-face meeting between the heads of the CIA and Russia's SVR occurred in Ankara in November 2022. Burns and Naryshkin met there amid concerns about nuclear escalation and the detention of American citizens.
Ratcliffe himself had previously spoken with Naryshkin by telephone in March 2025.
According to the Russian SVR, the two sides agreed during that conversation to maintain dialogue intended to “promote international stability and security” and reduce tensions between Moscow and Washington.
The Moscow meeting therefore suggests that this intelligence-level channel has not only survived but may now be taking on a broader diplomatic function.
Why Intelligence Chiefs Matter
Using intelligence officials for sensitive preliminary diplomacy is not unusual.
Intelligence channels can allow governments to test proposals, establish what the other side may accept and communicate privately before political leaders publicly commit themselves.
That becomes particularly valuable when formal diplomatic relations are strained or when a failed public initiative could carry significant political consequences.
The significance of Ratcliffe's visit is therefore not simply that America's CIA director travelled to Moscow.
It is that Washington and Moscow appear to have maintained a sufficiently functional back channel for discussions about potentially restarting negotiations over the largest armed conflict in Europe in generations.
Whether that produces an actual summit is another question.
Does This Affect New Zealand?
Yes — primarily through New Zealand's foreign policy, economic exposure and longstanding support for Ukraine.
New Zealand has imposed sanctions on Russia, provided military training and other assistance to Ukraine, and aligned itself politically with Western governments over the conflict. Any serious US-led negotiation capable of moving the war toward a settlement would consequently have implications for New Zealand's diplomatic position.
There are economic implications as well.
The Ukraine conflict has contributed to major disruptions in international energy, agricultural commodity and fertiliser markets. A durable settlement would not automatically reverse those effects, but reduced geopolitical tension between Russia and the United States could eventually affect sanctions, commodity flows and global risk.
For now, however, there is no announced Trump-Putin-Zelensky summit and no confirmed peace agreement.
What has changed is the evidence that communication is occurring at a very senior level.
In a conflict where public rhetoric often suggests the two sides have little room for compromise, the meeting between Ratcliffe and Russia's intelligence leadership indicates that another conversation is taking place behind closed doors.
Whether that private channel becomes a negotiating table may now be the development worth watching.
Source: RT, 30 August 2026 — CIA chief proposed trilateral talks during Moscow visit – Axios
Independent reporting. Original context. Credited sources.