U.S. intelligence and military leaders reportedly held a meeting at the White House on August 26, according to multiple sources. The gathering included CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Kane.
The event was described by Alex Raufoglu, a journalist with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, as an alleged White House meeting. A social media post on X (formerly Twitter) stated that Ratcliffe had returned from Russia and was seen in the White House alongside Hegseth and Kane.
According to the official White House schedule, the meeting occurred at 11:00 a.m. local time (6:00 p.m. Moscow time) as a closed-door session on intelligence matters.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed on August 26 that Ratcliffe had visited Moscow for special services discussions. Peskov clarified there was no meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ratcliffe during this visit. He also noted that such high-level contacts, including those involving the U.S. intelligence community, have a positive impact on bilateral relations.
Former President Donald Trump described Ratcliffe’s trip to Moscow as routine diplomatic activity.
