Story perspectives

Ratcliffe Holds Secret Talks With Russia Intelligence Chiefs

8/29/2026

Summary

Story summary

CIA Director John Ratcliffe held secret talks with Russian intelligence on Aug. 25.
He met SVR chief Sergey Naryshkin and FSB head Aleksandr Bortnikov, not President Putin.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin was briefed and called the contacts positive.
Washington asked Kyiv to pause strikes on Moscow, St. Petersburg and northern regions.
President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the United States and urged an end to Russia’s war.

History

Historical Context

In 1999, NATO launched a 78-day bombing campaign against Yugoslavia, forcing Russian President Boris Yeltsin to intervene diplomatically. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov exchanged 1,200 classified messages, while NATO allocated $10 billion for the operation. Similarly, CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s August 25 secret talks with SVR chief Sergey Naryshkin and FSB head Aleksandr Bortnikov echo those back-channel efforts to curb escalation in the Ukraine war. These historic precedents show that clandestine diplomacy can temporarily restrain conflicts, yet they often precede renewed military posturing by both Washington and Moscow.

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Story summary

CIA Director John Ratcliffe held secret talks with Russian intelligence on Aug. 25.
He met SVR chief Sergey Naryshkin and FSB head Aleksandr Bortnikov, not President Putin.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin was briefed and called the contacts positive.
Washington asked Kyiv to pause strikes on Moscow, St. Petersburg and northern regions.
President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the United States and urged an end to Russia’s war.

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