Defence minister withholds details of CIA chief’s Moscow visit

Lithuania has information about the content of CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s visit to Moscow last week, but Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas said Monday that it was not for public release, LRT reports.

“We have the information. It is definitely not for public use, and I ask you not to be offended, but I will not disclose it,” Kaunas told reporters. He said the important point was that the meeting had taken place and that messages had been delivered to Russia.

“This is how allies, meaning the United States, should act for the security of our region, Ukraine and all of Europe,” the minister said.

President Gitanas Nausėda previously said Lithuania had been informed about the visit and that information about its content would be provided this week.

US media reported last week that Ratcliffe had travelled to Moscow for meetings. The Wall Street Journal and CBS News said he sought to persuade Russia not to attack NATO members, citing US intelligence assessments that Moscow might want to test the alliance. The CIA declined to comment.

ABC News reported that Ratcliffe also referred to Iran during the meetings. The Wall Street Journal said Russian President Vladimir Putin could test NATO in the next several years by launching a “limited attack”.

According to the article, Ratcliffe flew to Moscow from Riga aboard a US Air Force C-17 military transport aircraft. Axios, citing sources, reported that the United States had asked Ukraine to halt strikes on Russia while Ratcliffe was in Moscow.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told The Washington Post that Ratcliffe had travelled to Moscow for contacts between security services. It was probably Ratcliffe’s first visit to Moscow as CIA director. The last known visit by a CIA director to Russia took place in 2021, when William Burns travelled to Moscow and met Putin.