CIA Chief Told Kremlin Russia’s War Is Going Badly – and Putin May Not Know It, NYT Says

On August 28, 2026, the Wall Street Journal wrote that Trump personally sent the CIA chief to Moscow. The New York Times, as cited by Kyiv Post, wrote that the CIA chief told the Kremlin Russia's war is going badly and that Putin may not know it. The Jerusalem Post wrote that he urged Russia to take Ukraine peace talks seriously, and the Globe and Mail wrote the visit signals concern in intelligence circles that Putin might widen the war.

Lavrov explained the visits of the CIA chief and a Vatican envoy to Moscow and said Russia had not issued the US any ultimatums over Ukrainian strikes. Zelensky said the US briefed Ukraine on the Moscow meetings, while Bloomberg wrote that the US left European allies uninformed about the details. Trump dismissed fears of an attack on NATO after the trip.