Kasčiūnas seeks parliamentary briefing on CIA chief’s Moscow visit
Thursday 27th August 2026 on 09:45 in
Lithuania
Opposition Conservative leader Laurynas Kasčiūnas plans to ask for a meeting of the Lithuanian parliament’s National Security and Defence Committee to brief lawmakers on the purpose and outcome of CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s visit to Moscow, LRT reported.
“I plan to ask for a meeting of the National Security and Defence Committee soon, so that parliamentarians working in the security field have a certain level of knowledge: what happened, why he went, what the reactions were and what scenarios we are talking about,” Kasčiūnas told reporters at the parliament on Thursday.
Kasčiūnas said it was a positive sign that President Gitanas Nausėda had been informed about the visit in advance. He said consultations should take place in the coming days to establish what had been discussed and what response Russia had given.
According to Kasčiūnas, the fact that the head of US intelligence travelled to Russia to deliver a message showed that “the Americans continue to be the ones who are primarily concerned with our security.” He said the next step should be to ensure real deterrence.
BNS reported that Ratcliffe made an unannounced visit to Moscow on Tuesday. He is one of the few senior US officials to have travelled to Russia since the war in Ukraine began in 2022.
US media reported on Wednesday that the visit was intended to warn Russia against carrying out an attack on NATO member states. The Wall Street Journal and CBS News said Ratcliffe sought to deter Russia from attacking NATO members, amid US intelligence assessments that Moscow might seek to test the alliance.
Earlier reports said intelligence agencies had warned that Russia was considering attacks on critical infrastructure in countries on NATO’s eastern flank, using Ukrainian drones.
The last time a CIA director visited Moscow was in November 2021, when William Burns, who held the post at the time, warned Russia against sending troops into Ukraine. Several months later, the Kremlin launched its invasion.