In Moscow, CIA Director Proposed a 3-Way Summit

CIA Director John Ratcliffe's unannounced trip to Moscow last week reportedly included multiple warnings for Russian officials. There also was a pitch for a three-way summit involving President Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Axios reports. The idea would be to restart peace talks between Russia and Ukraine to be brokered by the US; Ratcliffe met with Russian intelligence chiefs Sergey Naryshkin and Alexander Bortnikov to gauge the chances.

US officials later briefed Zelensky on the summit idea and on Ratcliffe's assessment that Bortnikov could be a useful channel, per Axios. Zelensky has signaled support, while Putin has previously brushed off the concept. Ukraine remains wary, however, saying its intelligence points to potential new Russian offensives, even as Trump surrogates Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff explore stalled negotiation tracks. EuroNews points out that Ratcliffe's trip closely followed a gathering of European leaders in Kyiv in support of Ukraine's defense against the Russian attack.