CIA director, Volodymyr Zelensky meet in Ireland following Ukraine's recent attacks on Russia
The CIA director was returning to the United States after traveling to Egypt, where he met with President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi on Sunday.
Volodymyr Zelensky.
The media outlet The Hill reported on Monday that CIA Director John Ratcliffe held a brief meeting that day with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, at Shannon Airport in Ireland, while both leaders were making a stopover to refuel their planes during their respective trips to the United States. Although it did not provide further details, the outlet explained that one of its sources revealed the two leaders had a brief conversation.
The meeting between Ratcliffe and Zelensky took place just days after Washington approved a potential sale of air defense systems and equipment to Ukraine worth $2.68 billion, at a time when Kiev is calling for more support to counter Russian attacks. The State Department notified Congress of its decision to authorize a potential Foreign Military Sale to the Ukrainian government to strengthen its air defense capabilities. According to official information cited by the AFP news agency, the Ukrainian government requested to acquire various types of missiles, launchers, anti-drone radars and trailers, among other equipment.
The CIA director was returning to the United States after traveling to Egypt, where he met with President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian president was heading to New York to participate in meetings with international leaders as part of the United Nations General Assembly. The meeting between the two was preceded by Ukrainian attacks on several locations in Russia, including the capital, Moscow.
A little less than a month ago, The Wall Street Journal revealed that Ratcliffe had made a surprise trip to Moscow to deliver a direct warning to Vladimir Putin's regime: do not attack any NATO member country. The trip was Ratcliffe's first publicly known visit to Moscow and came just days after new U.S. intelligence assessments — also reported by the WSJ — indicated that Putin might launch a limited attack against a NATO ally in the coming years to test the alliance's resolve.
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