Trump-Putin-Zelensky Summit? CIA Chief Floats Trilateral Meet In Moscow: Report

CIA Director John Ratcliffe proposed a trilateral meeting between US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a covert visit to Moscow this week, in an attempt to revive stalled efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war, Axios reported, citing two people briefed on the discussions.

Ratcliffe's visit marked his first direct involvement in the Trump administration's diplomatic push to break the deadlock between Moscow and Kyiv. During his trip on Tuesday, he met Russian intelligence chiefs Sergey Naryshkin, head of the SVR foreign intelligence service, and FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov.

Ratcliffe Discusses New Path To Negotiations

According to the sources cited by Axios, Ratcliffe's talks focused partly on whether Russia's intelligence leadership could help persuade Putin to return to US-mediated negotiations with Ukraine.

US officials briefed Zelensky on Friday about Ratcliffe's discussions in Moscow, including the proposal for a three-way summit.

The idea of a Trump-Putin-Zelensky meeting has previously been floated by the Trump administration. While Zelensky has expressed support for such a meeting, Putin has rejected the proposal.

Ratcliffe also raised the possibility of restarting peace negotiations, the sources said. The New York Times separately reported that Ratcliffe gave Bortnikov a bleak assessment of the war and pressed Russia to reach a deal before its position deteriorates further.

The Axios sources described Bortnikov as a potentially constructive interlocutor who could help reopen diplomatic channels. The CIA has declined to comment on Ratcliffe's discussions.

US-Russia-Ukraine Talks Remain Stalled

The proposed summit comes as US-mediated negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv remain deadlocked. Talks were paused in mid-February after the outbreak of the war with Iran, while White House envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have separately held discussions with Russian and Ukrainian negotiators in recent months without securing a major breakthrough.

Kyiv remains deeply sceptical of Putin's intentions and has warned that Russia could be preparing for another major escalation.

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy's deputy chief of staff, Pavlo Palisa, said Friday that Putin had ordered the Russian military to prepare several operational scenarios for an offensive in northern Ukraine, including areas around Kyiv and Chernihiv.

At the same time, Zelenskyy's chief of staff Kyrylo Budanov said US-mediated negotiations with Russia could resume in September.

Zelenskyy on Friday appeared to welcome Washington's latest diplomatic efforts, thanking the US for what he called the “necessary tone” of its conversations with Russia. He said the Trump administration was developing a “realistic vision” of what needed to be achieved to end the conflict.