【Ratcliffe's visit to Russia leads to a conclusion】
According to sources cited by Axios in the United States, after concluding his secret trip to Moscow, CIA Director John Ratcliffe reached a conclusion: Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) chief, Alexander Bortnikov, is a constructive figure who could help restart diplomatic efforts.
Recently, Ratcliffe made a confidential visit to Russia. Based on information disclosed afterward by various media outlets: this secret trip was unknown even to some White House officials. Previously, Trump had sent figures like Waltz to Moscow, but this time suddenly dispatching Ratcliffe was mainly due to the fact that Putin himself comes from an intelligence background—sending Ratcliffe might therefore facilitate smoother work.
During his visit to Moscow, Ratcliffe met with Bortnikov. A primary objective of the trip was to convey the CIA’s realistic assessment of the battlefield situation in Ukraine to Russian officials, aiming to push Russia back to the negotiating table. It is reported that during this process, Ratcliffe also proposed the idea of a trilateral summit among the heads of state of the United States, Ukraine, and Russia.
As for how Bortnikov interacted with Ratcliffe during this process, the details remain unclear. However, since Ratcliffe believes Bortnikov can play a constructive role, this suggests their interaction was positive and the discussions went well.
In fact, whether the Ukraine-Russia peace talks can be restarted and the conflict ended largely depends on Putin. If Putin does not want to stop fighting and insists on capturing Donbas, believing that Russian forces will soon achieve significant victories, then no one will be able to convince him otherwise.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1875034908792969/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.