Trilateral Peace Summit Proposed
CIA Director Proposes Trilateral Summit Between Putin, Trump, and Zelensky
Anonymous
Key Points
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Prior trilateral working-level talks on a Russia-Ukraine peace accord were held in January and February in Abu Dhabi and Geneva, brokered by the Trump administration, with Zelensky initially agreeing to a three-way summit but Putin not committing.
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Zelensky published an open letter to Putin on June 4 calling for an in-person meeting, a full ceasefire, and an all-for-all prisoner exchange; Putin responded that the letter was written with elements of boorishness and refused to meet.
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Pavlo Palisa, Zelensky’s deputy chief of staff, said Putin ordered officials to draw up several offensive scenarios for Kyiv and Chernihiv, while Kyrylo Budanov suggested talks could resume in September.
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Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed theories about Ratcliffe’s Moscow visit as 'popular entertainment' and insisted that contacts between intelligence services are routine and not extraordinary.
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The reporting notes the last known face-to-face meeting between the CIA and SVR chiefs occurred in Ankara in November 2022, and the last publicly disclosed contact between Ratcliffe and a senior Russian official was in March 2025.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled secretly to Moscow to propose a three-way summit between Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, and Volodymyr Zelensky aimed at ending the Ukraine war. Axios reported that Ratcliffe met with top Russian intelligence officials, marking the first CIA director visit to Moscow since 2021 and signaling a new push for direct diplomacy on the conflict.
The proposal builds on preliminary talks held in Abu Dhabi and Geneva earlier this year. Zelensky has publicly called for such a meeting, but Putin has shown reluctance to commit to face-to-face negotiations, according to Voice of Emirates.
Ratcliffe's Covert Mission to Russian Leadership
Ratcliffe met with SVR chief Sergei Naryshkin and FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov during his Moscow visit. Axios reported that Ratcliffe viewed Bortnikov as a constructive partner capable of helping revive peace negotiations. Trump downplayed the visit, calling it "semi-routine," while Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed media theories about it as "popular entertainment."
Zelensky's Public Push Meets Putin's Resistance
On June 4, Zelensky published an open letter to Putin calling for an in-person meeting, a full ceasefire, and an all-for-all prisoner exchange. Putin rejected the overture, dismissing the letter as containing "elements of boorishness" and refusing to meet. Ukrinform reported that Zelensky's team was briefed by US officials on Ratcliffe's Moscow initiative and the possibility of restarting talks.
Longstanding Skepticism About Reviving Negotiations
Multiple rounds of peace talks have stalled since the war began. Zero Hedge noted that observers remain deeply skeptical about whether a summit would succeed. Ukrainian officials offered mixed signals—Pavlo Palisa, Zelensky's deputy chief of staff, warned that Putin ordered the drawing up of offensive scenarios against Kyiv and Chernihiv, while intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov suggested talks could resume in September.
History of US-Russian Intelligence Contact
The last known face-to-face meeting between CIA and SVR chiefs occurred in Ankara in November 2022. Big News Network reported that Ratcliffe's previous direct contact with a senior Russian official was in March 2025. The Moscow visit marks a significant escalation in engagement between American and Russian intelligence leaders on Ukraine diplomacy.
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