CIA director and Russian counterpart speak amid ceasefire push
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CIA Director John Ratcliffe. Photo: Al Drago/Getty Images
CIA director John Ratcliffe spoke by phone Tuesday with the head of the Russian foreign intelligence agency (SVR) Sergey Naryshkin, a source familiar with the call confirmed to Axios.
Why it matters: This was the first call between the spy chiefs since President Trump assumed office. It came a day after Ukraine endorsed a U.S. proposal for a 30-day ceasefire and U.S. officials said the onus was now on Russia.
- Trump said Wednesday in an Oval Office meeting with Ireland's prime minister that "it's up to Russia now" to respond to the ceasefire proposal. "We are going to know very soon. I've gotten some positive messages, but a positive message means nothing."
The big picture: The call was one of several conversations between U.S. and Russian officials expected to take place over the next few days.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that the U.S. would brief Russia on Wednesday about the talks with the Ukrainians and the ceasefire proposal. "If they say 'no' it will tell us a lot," Rubio said.
- Rubio was speaking on a his flight to a G7 meeting in Canada from Saudi Arabia, where he and national security adviser Mike Waltz met with Ukrainian officials on Tuesday.
- Trump envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to visit Moscow on Thursday to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The other side: The Kremlin stressed on Wednesday it wants to hear directly from the U.S. before commenting on whether it agrees to the ceasefire.
- The Kremlin said it expects Rubio and Waltz to brief their Russian counterparts, and didn't rule out a Trump-Putin call.
Zoom in: The source said the purpose of Wednesday's call between the spy chiefs was to establish a line of communication between Ratcliffe and Naryshkin.
- It is also part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to engage with Russia and improve relations with Moscow. The CIA did not comment.
- Russian news agencies first reported on the call, quoting a statement from the SVR.
- According to the statement, Naryshkin and Ratcliffe discussed cooperation between the two intelligence services "in areas of common interest and the resolution of crisis situations."
- The SVR said the two spy chiefs agreed "to maintain regular contacts...with the aim of helping to ensure international stability and security, as well as reducing confrontation in relations between Moscow and Washington."
State of play: The Trump administration restored arms shipments and intelligence sharing with Ukraine after Kyiv endorsed the ceasefire proposal.
- Ukrainian President Zelensky said on Wednesday he wants to use the 30-day ceasefire to draft a peace agreement.
- After weeks of pressuring Ukraine, U.S. officials now say the ball is now in Russia's court.
Editor's note: This story was updated with Trump's comments.
