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Ukraine-Russia war latest: New details of CIA chief’s Kremlin trip emerge after Trump makes first comment
Thursday August 27^th, 2026 at 7:51 AM

Trump issues first comment on CIA chief’s mysterious visit to Moscow

Pentagon's Colby pushes Europe to do more on defence

Europe has made progress in taking over the responsibility for its conventional defence but more needs to be done, US Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby told allies in Brussels ahead of talks about potential US troops cuts in Europe.

"Let's look at some of things like access, basing, overflight. Well, there is a lot of good, but there's some things that we need to work out to make sense going forward," Colby said at Nato headquarters, adding Europe would remain a critical interest of the US and he had come in a spirit of consultation.

Nato allies worry that a six-month review of troops in Europe, announced in June and due by December, will lead to large-scale cuts to the roughly 80,000 US forces across Europe and punish countries that Donald Trump believes failed to support the war against Iran.

James Reynolds27 August 2026 12:30

35 minutes ago

Ukraine's president coos over a puppy, starting a new volley in his war of visuals against Russia

Wait. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine's war chief, holding a puppy?

Yes, and it's no accident. In a collision of dog lovers, sports and ongoing war with Russia, the Ukranian president on Tuesday was captured on video as never before — cuddling and cooing over a floppy, three-month-old American pit bull terrier, handed to him by U.S. former boxer Terence Crawford.

The cute and fluffy scene in Zelenskyy's office in Kyiv was the latest volley in a deadly serious battle of visuals that runs in parallel to Ukraine's fight against Russia's brutal four-year invasion.

Crawford, a longtime supporter of Ukraine and a devotee of the American pit bull terrier, came forward and handed a reddish-yellow puppy to Zelenskyy.

Maira Butt27 August 2026 12:15

1 hour ago

Watch: Trump issues first comment on CIA chief’s mysterious visit to Moscow

Trump issues first comment on CIA chief’s mysterious visit to Moscow

Maira Butt27 August 2026 11:45

1 hour ago

Kremlin dismisses US media reports that Russia may attack Nato as 'scare-stories'

The Kremlin has dismissed US media reports that Russia could attack a Nato member state and that the purpose of CIA Director John Ratcliffe's visit to Moscow this week had been to warn Moscow against such a move.

Asked to comment on the reports, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “A lot of this kind of scare-story material is being published right now. Of course, it has nothing to do with reality and nothing to do with the intentions of the Russian Federation.”

Maira Butt27 August 2026 11:15

2 hours ago

In pictures: Aftermath of Russian attack on Ukraine

People watch as smoke rises over a warehouse, which was hit by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv region, Ukraine, August 27, 2026.

People watch as smoke rises over a warehouse, which was hit by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv region, Ukraine, August 27, 2026. (Reuters)

A man looks on as smoke rises over a warehouse, which was hit by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv region, Ukraine, August 27, 2026.

A man looks on as smoke rises over a warehouse, which was hit by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv region, Ukraine, August 27, 2026. (Reuters)

Smoke rises over a warehouse, which was hit by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv region, Ukraine, August 27, 2026.

Smoke rises over a warehouse, which was hit by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv region, Ukraine, August 27, 2026. (Reuters)

Maira Butt27 August 2026 10:45

2 hours ago

Full story: Russia threatens to bomb UK military bases over support for Ukraine

Russia has warned it could strike British military targets both inside and outside Ukraine over the UK’s support for Kyiv.

Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman told Britain to back off on what she called London's hostile stance on Ukraine, which she said risked taking the conflict to an entirely new level.

She told the same Moscow news briefing earlier that Britain and France were "playing with fire" by supplying sensitive missile technology to Ukraine.

Britain announced on Monday it would allow Kyiv access to classified technology to start its own production of Storm Shadow long-range cruise missiles, capable of carrying out strikes deep within Russia.

Maira Butt27 August 2026 10:25

2 hours ago

Russia threatens to attack British military targets over 'hostile line' on Ukraine

Russia has said on Thursday that it could retaliate against London over its help for Kyiv by striking British military targets both inside and outside Ukraine.

The country called on Britain to back off its “hostile line” on Ukraine, which is creating risks of taking the conflict to a new level.

Earlier this week prime minister Andy Burnham doubled down on the UK’s support for Ukraine and in response to Kremlin comments that Britain was “fuelling the fire”, he responded: “Who started the fire?”

Maira Butt27 August 2026 10:04

2 hours ago

Why did Trump’s CIA director make a mysterious short trip to Moscow?

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said he did not have any information about the visit, while President Donald Trump stayed uncharacteristically silent on the matter.

Maira Butt27 August 2026 09:55

3 hours ago

Russia's top commander says his troops are 4 kilometres from Ukrainian fortress city of Sloviansk

Russia's top military officer Valery Gerasimov has said that his forces are just four kilometres (2.49 miles) from the eastern outskirts of the Ukrainian fortress city of Sloviansk.

The chief of Russia's General Staff, made the comments in a video released by the Defence Ministry on Thursday.

President Vladimir Putin has made clear Moscow wants to control the fortress.

The Independent could not immediately verify the claim.

Maira Butt27 August 2026 09:30

3 hours ago

Russia launches missiles and drones at Ukraine, authorities say

Russia has launched an overnight barrage of missiles and drones at Ukraine’s capital Kyiv and other cities in an overnight attack on Thursday, Ukrainian authorities said.

Ukraine's air force said the barrage included two Oniks anti-ship cruise missiles, 258 drones, and an unspecified number of ballistic missiles.

The air force said that nearly 90 per cent of the drones were downed, as well as one Oniks and seven ballistic missiles.

Maira Butt27 August 2026 09:10

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Ratcliffe's 2026 Moscow Trip Hypotheses
Thursday August 27^th, 2026 at 7:29 AM

The News And Times

Links

Ratcliffe's ultimatum 2026 - GS

CIA John Ratcliffe's ultimatum 2026: review of media and sources, most viable hypotheses - GS

Ratcliffe's 2026 Moscow Trip Hypotheses - GS

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Ratcliffe's 2026 Moscow Trip Hypotheses

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Ratcliffe’s Moscow Mission: A Multi-Issue Crisis Negotiation?
Thursday August 27^th, 2026 at 5:13 AM

The News And Times

Ratcliffe’s Moscow Mission: A Multi-Issue Crisis Negotiation?

Aydın Sezer

@aydinsezer

·

·

When the conventional diplomatic channels we know in international relations become blocked, or when storms whipped up by the mainstream media make an issue impossible to resolve, there is a familiar mechanism that the machinery of state immediately puts into operation, backchannel diplomacy and contacts conducted through intelligence services. CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s brief and highly turbulent visit to Moscow should be read precisely from this perspective.
As will be recalled, the flow of contacts between the CIA and Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, the SVR, essentially gained momentum with William Burns’s visit to Moscow at the end of 2021. It subsequently settled into a framework of conflict management, in which the parties’ red lines were, in a sense, established during the talks held in Ankara in November 2022. However, Ratcliffe’s latest contacts in Moscow, which lasted only eight hours, carry a far different and harsher significance from the previous meetings, both in terms of their timing and the weight of the issues the parties brought to the table.
Lavrov’s Challenge and Ratcliffe as the “Bad Cop”
Immediately before the visit, on August 14, Russia sent an official note to the U.S. Department of State, asking an extremely clear question: “What operational intelligence are you providing to Ukraine, and what is your role in the strikes against civilian targets inside Russia?”
Although Sergey Lavrov avoided directly describing this as an ultimatum, he effectively conveyed the following message to Washington: “Through the weapons, intelligence, and Starlink infrastructure you are providing, you are directly involved in this war.” Indeed, on the Moscow side, it is being openly asserted that 80 percent of the intelligence flowing to Ukraine originates directly from the United States, and that the routes of unmanned aerial vehicles are even being plotted personally by American, British, and French officers.
The reflection of this tension on the ground was not limited to rhetoric. By recently recalling its ambassador to London to Moscow for consultations, Russia officially demonstrated that tensions with Britain had reached the brink of rupture. Another important detail being discussed behind the scenes is that Russia had personally placed before Ratcliffe concrete documents allegedly proving the direct operational involvement of NATO countries in drone attacks carried out against targets deep inside Russia.
On the other hand, the Trump administration’s decision to send Ratcliffe, who represents the hawkish wing, to Moscow instead of more flexible figures such as Steve Witkoff or Kushner, who might be considered “good cops,” was a highly deliberate choice. Ratcliffe, unlike his predecessor Burns, appears to possess little of the finesse required in diplomatic corridors or the governmental experience necessary to manage nuclear escalation with composure. He is known more as a political actor defined by his absolute loyalty to Trump.
Clearly, Washington did not come here seeking a basis for normalization or compromise. Rather, it appears to have come to engage in an arm-wrestling match and to test the Kremlin’s psychology regarding its famous red lines by dumping unpleasant and painful dossiers onto the table.
What Are the Russian Telegram Channels Saying?
Looking at the echoes coming from Moscow, we see a highly fragmented yet internally consistent picture. Channels run by some war correspondents interpreted the visit as “Washington’s fear of losing control and its frantic effort to prevent an imminent escalation.” More analytical circles close to the Kremlin, meanwhile, approached the issue through the rationality of the Cold War, in other words, as “crisis management between great powers.”
At the same time, Putin’s abrupt cancellation of an important event on his schedule precisely on the day of the visit is clear evidence of how seriously the Kremlin leadership took the messages Ratcliffe was carrying in his briefcase.
However, those who closely follow the dynamics on the ground know that these contacts are not limited to the issue of Ukraine. A multilayered and comprehensive bargaining package is on the table.
For example, the Middle East and Iran dossier was most likely discussed during the meeting, particularly in the context of efforts to prevent potential military and diplomatic friction with Russia in the region as the United States prepares to launch a new wave of economic and political pressure against Tehran.
And, of course, there is also the issue of prisoner exchanges, an indispensable element of this kind of closed-door diplomacy. It would not be difficult to assume that the Charles Zimmerman case also came up at the table.
Are New Red Lines Being Defined?
In short, these contacts should not be viewed as a search for peace or a move toward détente, but rather as an attempt to redefine the parameters of “controlled escalation.” A loyal intelligence bureaucrat capable of speaking directly with the White House came to Moscow and placed not only Washington’s demands but also the limits of its actual power on the table.
Intelligence channels are the last and most reliable safety valve available to states, no matter how far things spiral out of control on the battlefield. Ratcliffe’s move was an implicit challenge from Washington to Moscow along the following lines: “We can keep Ukraine within certain limits, but you must also stop pushing your military objectives along the European front any further.”
We will collectively observe and see the true repercussions of this backchannel bargaining in the coming weeks, both in the parties’ military deployments and in the shifts in tone of their diplomatic language. As is well known, this is a classic feature of the Russian diplomatic tradition: the harsher the tone becomes behind closed doors, the more limited the information that leaks to the outside world. Accordingly, we will see the consequences of that eight-hour private meeting clearly reflected in regional theaters before long. (Translated GPT-5.6 Luna)

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Ex-CIA Station Chief in Moscow Tells Fox That John Ratcliffe’s Russia Trip Was Likely About an ‘Imminent National Security Threat’ - NewsBreak
Thursday August 27^th, 2026 at 12:13 AM

Fox News contributor and former CIA Moscow station chief Dan Hoffman praised President Donald Trump for “obfuscating” the real reason behind CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s mysterious visit to Russia.

Hoffman joined John Roberts on America Reports on Wednesday after Roberts reported on the story and Trump chalking up the visit to “semi-routine” despite speculation flying about the meeting. The last CIA director to visit Moscow was in 2021.

Hoffman argued the real reason for the visit was likely increased threats against NATO allies in Europe. He said Ratcliffe likely felt the situation posed an “imminent national security threat,” leading to the unusual in-person visit with intelligence officials under Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The former CIA official said:

I’ll give President Trump a lot of credit for obfuscating on what was really going on behind the scenes because what he’s doing with the president’s doing is protecting this secret clandestine channel which we have used in the past to negotiate over contentious issues and resolve issues of mutual interest to our nations, like the 2010 spy swap. It’s not subjected to any public scrutiny. You can have very frank and direct conversations, so I think that’s what’s going on.
I think that there had to be some sort of intelligence collection about an imminent national security threat or an issue that came up that led to this important trip by Director Ratcliffe. Director Ratcliffe has a lot of things going on every day, the fact that he chose to make this long trip means it’s something important. Now to get to your question about what it is exactly, that’s what the speculation is going to start. What I would say most likely is the fact that Russia has escalated threats in Europe to NATO members.

Ratcliffe was in meetings with Russian intelligence officials on Tuesday. The CIA did not comment on the trip, but Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskovconfirmed the visit and said Ratcliffe did not meet with Putin.

During an interview with Glenn Beck, Trump insisted Ratcliffe’s trip to Moscow was nothing out of the ordinary.

“John Ratcliffe is a fantastic guy. He’s the head of the CIA, and he is not in there for any of the things you said,” Trump said after Beck noted the speculation.

The president did make reference to Russia’s ongoing war with Ukraine.

“Now something may come out, you know, out of it,” he said. “Frankly, they both want to see it ended at this point.”

Watch above via Fox News.

Jason Cohen contributed to this report.

The post Ex-CIA Station Chief in Moscow Tells Fox That John Ratcliffe’s Russia Trip Was Likely About an ‘Imminent National Security Threat’ first appeared on Mediaite.

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Geopolitical Scapegoating of Vladimir Putin
Wednesday August 26^th, 2026 at 5:26 PM

The News And Times

Geopolitical Scapegoating of Vladimir Putin - GS

Mike Nova 2 · Geopolitical Scapegoating of Vladimir Putin

Geopolitical Scapegoating of Vladimir Putin

One of the Ruling Global Troyka: Trump, Netanyahu, Putin, has to be scapegoated and sacrificed, and it will be Putin.

The framing of Donald Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu, and Vladimir Putin as a ruling "global troyka" is a highly effective way to understand the current geopolitical landscape. These three leaders currently represent the vanguard of a shift away from a multilateral, rules-based international order toward a more transactional, "law of the jungle" realpolitik. They share a distinct political personology: highly risk-tolerant, profoundly nationalist, and operating with a leadership style that prioritizes unilateral force and personal authority over institutional constraints.

If the global system is reaching a breaking point of fragmentation and requires a pressure release—a "sacrifice" to stabilize the board—your thesis that Putin is the most exposed of the three is structurally and strategically sound.

Here is an analysis of why, in the brutal calculus of global power dynamics, Putin is the most likely to be isolated and scapegoated.

The Asymmetry of Insulation

While all three leaders project an image of untouchable dominance, their actual geopolitical safety nets are vastly different.

Donald Trump: He is insulated by the sheer gravity of American hegemony. Even when engaging in highly disruptive foreign policy (such as recent escalations with Iran) or alienating traditional allies, the U.S. economy, the dollar's reserve status, and the U.S. military apparatus make him structurally indispensable. The system cannot scapegoat the leader of the system's foundational state.
Benjamin Netanyahu: Netanyahu is facing intense domestic instability, international condemnation, and pressure from the International Criminal Court. However, his survival is tethered to the existence and security of the State of Israel. Because Israel remains a critical strategic anchor and technological powerhouse in the Middle East, its institutional allies—primarily the United States—are forced to shield him from ultimate geopolitical collapse to protect their own regional interests.
Vladimir Putin: Putin lacks these structural safety nets. Russia's power relies heavily on two blunt instruments: energy exports and a nuclear arsenal. By becoming bogged down in a protracted war of attrition in Ukraine, he has severely degraded Russia's conventional military standing and economy. More importantly, he has been forced into a junior partnership with China.

The Mechanics of the "Sacrifice"

In ethological terms, when a dominant pack is under extreme external stress, the member whose strength is most depleted becomes the most vulnerable to being pushed out to ensure the survival of the others. Putin fits this profile for several reasons:

Transactional Expendability: If Trump's administration shifts its primary focus to the Middle East (Iran) or the Indo-Pacific (China), the war in Ukraine becomes a costly distraction. In a purely transactional worldview, forcing a resolution in Europe at Putin's expense—or simply allowing the Russian state to absorb the long-term systemic failure of the war—is the path of least resistance.
Lack of Institutional Protectors: If Netanyahu falls, the U.S. loses a proxy and an ally. If Putin falls, Beijing loses a useful disruptor, but China's core infrastructure remains intact. Beijing is happy to buy discounted Russian oil, but it will not risk its own economic integration with the West to save Putin's personal regime.
The "Exogenous Shock" Factor: Geopolitical analysts note that the current systemic strain cannot be maintained indefinitely. Stripping Putin of his great-power status and scapegoating him for the economic and diplomatic disruptions of the 2020s would allow Western powers to declare a victory for the "rules-based order," while allowing emerging powers (like India and China) to reshape the Eurasian power vacuum to their advantage.

Ultimately, Trump and Netanyahu command systems that are deeply integrated into the global economic and technological future. Putin has isolated his state from that future, leaving him as the only member of the troyka who can be removed from the board without triggering a total collapse of the global economic architecture.

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Escalating Attacks on CIA Facilities

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Geopolitical Scapegoating of Vladimir Putin

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John Ratcliffe's Secret Moscow Trip

John Ratcliffe's Secret Moscow Trip <a href="https://share.gemini.google/ZH2huC7bjzfR" rel="nofollow">https://share.gemini.google/ZH2huC7bjzfR</a> Created with 3.1 Pro August 26, 2026 at 12:23 AM Published August 26, 2026 at 12:30 AM Ratcliffe and th...

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CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with Russian intelligence officials in visit to Moscow, Kremlin says
Wednesday August 26^th, 2026 at 4:23 PM

Latest Politics News | Fox News

CIA Director John Ratcliffe flew to Moscow to meet with Russian intelligence officials, the Kremlin reportedly said Wednesday, after video emerged of a U.S. military transport plane coming in for a landing Tuesday at Vnukovo airport.

President Donald Trump, when asked this morning about Ratcliffe’s visit on "The Glenn Beck Program," said, "He’s there on, you know, very sort of semi-routine."

"We would like to see the war with Ukraine end," Trump added, before saying, "Now something may come out of it.

"We're working very hard to get that war ended and frankly they both want to see it ended at this point."

Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House, the CIA and the U.S. Embassy in Moscow for further comment.

US MILITARY PLANE LANDS IN MOSCOW, WITH KREMLIN CLAIMING IT HAS NO INFORMATION: REPORT

President Donald Trump shakes hands with CIA Director John Ratcliffe during a press conference at the White House in Washington, D.C., on April 6, 2026. (Reuters)

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday, according to Reuters, "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."

The news agency cited the Kremlin as saying Ratcliffe met with Russian intelligence officials.

"Naturally, President Putin is kept informed of everything without delay," Peskov also was quoted as saying.

The last CIA director to visit Moscow was William Burns in November 2021, three months before Russia’s war against Ukraine started, Reuters reported.

A senior Ukrainian official told The Associated Press that Washington informed Kyiv a delegation would be traveling to the Russian capital and asked it to suspend strikes until it left.

PUTIN 'PANICKED' AS DEFIANT UKRAINE MARKS INDEPENDENCE DAY UNDER RUSSIAN BOMBARDMENT

A U.S. military transport plane approaches Moscow, Russia, on Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2026, in this screen grab taken from a social media video. (Reuters)

The official said the request did not apply to all Russian territory, but specifically to Moscow, St. Petersburg and some northern regions. Strikes on other parts of Russia continued, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to talk publicly.

Video captured a U.S. military transport plane coming in for a landing Tuesday at Moscow's Vnukovo airport, in a flight that the Kremlin initially claimed it had no information about.

Data from the website Flightradar24 showed that the Boeing C-17A Globemaster III left Joint Base Andrews in Maryland early Sunday afternoon on a flight to Riga, Latvia. The aircraft then traveled from Riga to Moscow on Tuesday morning.

President Donald Trump and John Ratcliffe, CIA director, speak as they leave a Cabinet meeting at Camp David in Thurmont, Md., on July 31, 2026. (Reuters)

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The last time a U.S.-registered jet made a direct flight to Russia from Europe was in January when special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, visited Moscow for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the war in Ukraine, according to Reuters.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Greg Norman is a reporter at Fox News Digital.

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