US President Donald Trump has downplayed CIA Director John Ratcliffe's visit to Moscow this week, describing it as a "semi-routine" mission and denying reports that the trip was related to possible Russian military threats to NATO or the United Kingdom.
Asked by political commentator Glenn Beck whether Russia was testing the resolve of Western allies or preparing for an attack on Britain, Trump replied: Neither of these.
The US president described Ratcliffe as a "fantastic man" and insisted that the CIA director had not traveled to Moscow for reasons related to these scenarios.
However, Trump left open the possibility that something concrete could come out of the visit. "Now, something could come out of this. We're working very hard to end that war," he said, referring to the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Trump also claimed that both Moscow and Kiev are ready for a deal, stating that "both sides want it to be over at this point."
The Kremlin confirmed that Ratcliffe's visit to Moscow on Tuesday included contacts between security services. The trip marks the first visit by a CIA director to Moscow since 2021, at a time when relations between Washington and Moscow remain tense over the war in Ukraine.
