Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the American newspaper "Washington Post" that the visit of the director of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) John Ratcliffe to Moscow was related to "contacts between secret services", BTA reported.
This is the first official statement on the alleged visit of Ratcliffe to Moscow, which attracted great media attention.
The Kremlin was extremely discreet on the subject. Dmitry Peskov did not reveal further details, the "Washington Post" notes.
The American publication notes that the Kremlin previously stated that it had no information about the landing of a US military plane at the "Vnukovo" international airport in Moscow.
The Russian side has no plans to meet with representatives of the US administration this week, Peskov also said.
The alleged visit of CIA Director John Ratcliffe to Moscow may be related to the intensification of the Russian-American dialogue on the issues of Ukraine and Iran, Dmitry Suslov, an expert from the Higher School of Economics in Moscow, told the Russian newspaper “Izvestia“, BTA reports.
According to him, Ratcliffe's visit is more significant than simply restoring routine contacts between Moscow and Washington. In particular, the parties may discuss a possible alternative to the Anchorage agreements, including the American proposal on the fate of the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine. In this context, the expert believes that Russia could also present Ratcliffe with its assessment of the long-range strikes it is exchanging with Ukraine.
In an interview with the Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper, Russian political scientist Malek Dudakov noted that it is too early to draw final conclusions, but it is clear that Ratcliffe's visit has significant consequences. According to him, the most logical interlocutor for the CIA director in Moscow would be the head of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service - an agency that operates in the same area.
However, Dudakov does not rule out the possibility that Ratcliffe could also meet with members of the Russian negotiating team that is conducting a dialogue with the US special envoys on the Ukrainian issue. “I think this visit demonstrates the speed with which the Trump administration is trying to get back on the Ukrainian track. With about 70 days left until the congressional elections, the president is clearly looking for a foreign policy achievement. "It didn't work out with Iran, Gaza or Cuba. Now they are intensifying the dialogue with us and have brought Ratcliffe into the game," the political scientist added.