CIA Director John Ratcliffe made a covert trip to Moscow on August 25, meeting with Russian intelligence chiefs Sergey Naryshkin of the SVR and Alexander Bortnikov of the FSB to propose a trilateral summit involving President Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky aimed at reviving peace negotiations [1, 2, 3]. Ratcliffe described the war's situation to Bortnikov as bleak and urged Russia to reach a diplomatic deal before conditions worsened, judging Bortnikov to be a constructive interlocutor who could facilitate renewed talks [1, 2, 3].
The idea of a Trump-Putin-Zelensky summit was raised previously by the Trump administration. Zelensky supports the summit proposal, but Putin has thus far rejected it [1, 2, 3]. On August 28, U.S. officials briefed Zelensky on Ratcliffe's talks and discussed the proposed summit [1, 2, 3]. Zelensky’s chief of staff Kyrylo Budanov indicated that U.S.-mediated talks with Russia might resume in September [2, 3].
However, Ukrainian officials remain skeptical about Putin’s intentions. Zelensky’s deputy chief of staff Pavlo Palisa said Putin instructed the military to prepare for offensive scenarios targeting Kyiv and Chernihiv, signaling possible major escalations in northern Ukraine [1, 2].
Former President Trump described Ratcliffe’s Moscow visit as "standard business" and denied that it was intended as a warning to Russia regarding NATO territory [1, 3].
The next significant development is the potential resumption of U.S.-mediated negotiations between Ukraine and Russia expected in September, according to Zelensky’s office [2, 3].
