▲ John Ratcliffe, Director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director John Ratcliffe recently visited Russia, where he shared a grim assessment of the war in Ukraine and urged for an end to the conflict, the New York Times (NYT) reported on the 27th (local time).
According to the report, Director Ratcliffe met with Alexander Bortnikov, director of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), advising that it would be better to reach a peace agreement before Russia's military and economic conditions deteriorate further.
Ratcliffe pointed out that the massive casualties suffered by Russian forces and their incompetence in making territorial advances have reached a severe level.
He reportedly emphasized the reality on the ground, noting that the expected life expectancy of a Russian soldier deployed to the front lines is less than 35 minutes, and that over the past year and a half, the territory expanded by Russia accounts for less than 1% of Ukraine's total territory.
Russia has continued the war with the aim of seizing the entirety of the Donbas region (Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts) in eastern Ukraine, but has failed to break Ukrainian resistance spearheaded by drone technology.
Ratcliffe reportedly only delivered the CIA's analysis of the battlefield situation and did not make any threatening remarks regarding the price Russia would pay if it continues the war.
The CIA director's rare visit to Russia and intelligence-sharing are viewed as part of U.S. President Donald Trump's fresh efforts toward a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine.
The CIA has previously assessed that advisers to Russian President Vladimir Putin have not been properly reporting the direction and losses of the war.
The Trump administration's hope is that conveying a pessimistic assessment through the FSB director, who is trusted by President Putin—a former KGB officer from the former Soviet Union—might alter Russia's will to continue the war.
Since his second administration took office last year, President Trump has sought to swiftly end the war in Ukraine, meeting alternately with the leaders of both countries to mediate negotiations, but has failed to forge a compromise.
It remains unclear at this point whether the resumed efforts of the Trump administration can open a breakthrough for peace negotiations in Ukraine.
For one, it is questionable whether President Putin will take the U.S. intelligence seriously enough to halt the invasion.
He has continued to emphasize his fundamental objectives: replacing the Ukrainian government led by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy with a pro-Russian regime and achieving the demilitarization of Ukraine.
Although U.S. military assistance to Ukraine has been scaled back, there are no signs that Ukraine is likely to easily accept Russia's core demand of abandoning its eastern territories.
However, the NYT reported that European diplomats believe an opportunity for peace talks could open this winter, citing Russia's stalled advance and continued losses resulting from Ukraine's drone-led offensives.
European officials are reportedly recommending that the Trump administration include a national security official capable of emphasizing pessimistic assessments—similar to Ratcliffe's message—in the lineup of figures mediating peace talks.
Steven Witkoff, a long-time friend of President Trump who has led peace negotiations, and Jared Kushner, his son-in-law, have faced criticism for being overly friendly to Russia.
Ukraine, a party to the war, views figures like Ratcliffe—who has long exhibited a hawkish stance toward Russia—as potentially more neutral mediators.
President Trump has covertly utilized Ratcliffe as a special envoy in the course of executing major foreign policies recently.
Ratcliffe was the highest-ranking cabinet official to visit Venezuela for the first time following the U.S. special forces' arrest and transfer of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to the United States in January of this year.
In May of this year, he also visited Cuba, delivering a pessimistic assessment of Cuba's economy amid U.S. oil blockades and urging a forward-looking attitude before the situation worsens.
(Photo: Getty Images)
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