Скриншот видео
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, following U.S. President Donald Trump, described CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s visit to Russia as planned and routine.
Rubio said he did not know where the versions reported in the press had come from. The secretary of state stressed that a limited number of people knew about Ratcliffe’s trip and that none of them had spoken to the press.
“So this is stuff they’re getting secondhand and reporting on, and – but let me just say that trip was primarily a routine one. It is not unprecedented,” he said.
Rubio stressed that the United States needs to maintain communication with Russia, including because of its nuclear arsenal.
“I have met with the foreign minister; we talk to their foreign ministry. We’re engaged with them in that regard. And I think, for a long period of time, there’s been exchanges between our respective intelligence communities, including our Department of War in deconfliction and things of this nature. This has always existed.
So his visit there was largely routine in that sense of just establishing and continue to build these intel-to-intel communication channels. Because they’re – those things can prove useful in a time of crisis or conflict. I mean, this is not unusual; it’s occurred under other administrations as well. And – but – they’re really – it wasn’t part of any sort of broader initiative, other than continuing to establish those intel-to-intel channels that can prove useful in any particular contingency or crisis situation,” he said.
Ratcliffe visited Moscow in August. Following his visit, media outlets published reports offering various versions of the purpose of the trip. According to one, the CIA director’s main goal was to warn Russia against aggressive actions against NATO; according to another, it was to provide Russian President Vladimir Putin with reliable information about Russia’s position in the war against Ukraine in order to push him toward a peace agreement.