CIA Director Makes Secret Visit to Russia... Was There a Message from Trump to Kim Jong Un?

[Financial News] Attention is focusing on the background of reports that John Ratcliffe, director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), made a secret visit to Moscow, Russia's capital. With Ukraine and Iran emerging as key topics, observers are also watching for the possibility that messages related to North Korea–United States dialogue may have been exchanged, as U.S. President Donald Trump seeks to resume talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
According to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and WTOP on the 25th local time, Ratcliffe recently visited Moscow. It was reported to be his first trip to Russia since taking office.
A U.S. Air Force C-17A transport aircraft believed to have carried Ratcliffe departed Joint Base Andrews near Washington, D.C. on the 23rd, stopped in Riga, Latvia, and then arrived at Vnukovo International Airport in Moscow. Neither the CIA nor the Kremlin confirmed the visit, and the meeting counterpart and agenda were not disclosed.
U.S. media first focused on the Ukraine issue. U.S. intelligence agencies are said to have collected information that Russia is planning operations in Europe to test NATO's resolve and weaken support for Ukraine. There is also speculation that Russia's support for Iran, which Washington is intensifying economic pressure on, may have been discussed.
For South Korea, the key question is whether North Korea was discussed. Trump has recently shown a willingness to resume dialogue with Kim, and the Russia-Ukraine War has significantly changed North Korea-Russia relations.
North Korea has sharply expanded military cooperation with Russia by providing troops and weapons. As Putin and Kim Jong Un have grown closer, Russia's influence over North Korea has also increased compared with the past. If the United States moves to revive North Korea–United States dialogue, it will have to consider Russia's intentions and North Korea-Russia relations at the same time.
Accordingly, attention is also turning to the possibility that Ratcliffe explored the future direction of North Korea-Russia military cooperation while conveying Trump's message about resuming dialogue with Kim to the Russian side. However, it has not been confirmed whether the North Korea issue was actually included in the Moscow agenda.
Intelligence channels have also helped open the door to summit diplomacy between North Korea and the United States. During Trump's first term, Michael Richard Pompeo, then CIA director and nominee for secretary of state, made a secret trip to Pyongyang in late March 2018 and met with Kim Jong Un. A few months later, the first North Korea–United States Singapore Summit was held in Singapore in June of that year.
Ratcliffe's trip is the first visit to Russia by a senior U.S. official since Trump's envoy Steven Charles Witkoff and his eldest son-in-law Jared Kushner met with Putin in Moscow in January.

[email protected] Kim Kyung-min Reporter