CIA head holds talks with Russian officials in Moscow

Investing.com -- CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with Russian intelligence officials during a visit to Moscow on Tuesday but did not meet with President Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin said Wednesday.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Putin received updates on the results of Ratcliffe's discussions. The visit occurs as the conflict in Ukraine continues to escalate and efforts to secure a lasting peace agreement between the U.S. and Iran remain stalled.

Peskov declined to share what topics were discussed or provide additional details about the meetings.

"All I can tell you is that there have been contacts via the security services. I can tell you that there have been no meetings with the Russian president. Naturally, President Putin is kept informed of everything without delay," Peskov said.

When asked whether visits by senior U.S. officials could improve the current state of U.S.-Russia relations, Peskov said that intelligence agency contacts between the two countries were positive.

"These contacts often continue even during the most difficult periods in bilateral relations. Our president, incidentally, has spoken about this. However, it is still too early to say to what extent this will, overall, help to steer our bilateral relations out of the profound crisis in which they currently find themselves," he said.

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