Did Putin receive the CIA Director? Peskov issued a statement on this mysterious visit

On August 25, the unannounced and unexpected visit of the Director of the US Central Intelligence Agency John Ratcliffeto the Russian capital caused a great stir. A Kremlin official clarified the various reports circulating about whether a direct meeting took place between Vladimir Putin and the US intelligence chief.

Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov officially confirmed in a comment to the Interfax agency that no such negotiations were planned on the head of state's agenda and that the meeting did not take place.

«There are no meetings with the President, and none were planned in the schedule», Peskov replied briefly and concisely.

The plane at Vnukovo and the mysterious 9 hours

The arrival and departure of the US intelligence chief in Moscow were recorded down to the minute:

• Landing at 10:04: The US Air Force Boeing C-17 Globemaster III heavy military transport aircraft carrying John Ratcliffe landed at Vnukovo International Airport around 10:04 AM Moscow time on August 25;

• Evening flight: About 9 hours later, in the evening, the American plane took off from Moscow and returned.

What is the real reason for the visit?

The Kremlin representative commented to the influential The Washington Post publication, touching upon the purpose of this mysterious visit:

• Special services channel: According to Dmitry Peskov, the CIA director's trip to Moscow was not a high-level political negotiation, but rather a working dialogue and closed communication between the special services of the two countries;

• Closed agenda: Detailed information on exactly which topics (prisoner exchange, strategic security, or de-escalation lines) were discussed remains secret for now.

Thus, it became known that Ratcliffe's short-term trip to Moscow was held not with the Kremlin leader directly, but within the framework of dialogue with representatives of Russian special services.