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CIA Director John Ratcliffe has long enjoyed the trust of U.S. President Donald Trump, takes a hard line on Russia (although he is not considered a “hawk” for that reason alone) and — according to rumors — could become the new U.S. negotiator in the peace process between Russia and Ukraine. What Ratcliffe is known for, what he thinks about Ukraine, why Trump listens to him, and whether a breakthrough in negotiations should be expected if the intelligence officer becomes a diplomat — in a report by HORDON.
25 August Ratcliffe made an unofficial visit to Moscow, where he met with Foreign Intelligence Service Director Sergey Naryshkin and FSB chief Alexander Bortnikov. According to Axios, he proposed resuming negotiations and holding a trilateral meeting of Trump, Zelensky and Putin.
A few days later the media reported that Ratcliffe himself could play a significant role in negotiations. As the Financial Times reported, citing five informed interlocutors, the Donald Trump administration is considering reducing the roles of the president’s special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who have so far led contacts with Moscow and Kyiv, and involving Ratcliffe instead.
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There is no confirmation yet that Trump has made such a decision. Moreover, the White House called the FT’s report “complete fake news,” and the CIA also denies information about a change in its director’s role. Witkoff will likely keep the special envoy post and may continue to work on Ukraine in parallel with Ratcliffe. However, FT sources say an internal power struggle is already underway between the two officials over who will shape the negotiation process.
In 2025 Trump already offered Ratcliffe to lead negotiations — together with Witkoff, as well as Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his national security adviser Mike Waltz.
The logic of a possible appointment is clear: Ratcliffe is likely able to pressure the Kremlin more effectively than New York developer Witkoff. For Putin, who comes from the security services, such an interlocutor can present more convincing arguments than a businessman. Ratcliffe also knows the real capabilities of both warring parties well and has direct lines of communication with Ukrainian and Russian intelligence services.
A person Trump trusts
John Ratcliffe was born in 1965 in Illinois, earned a law degree and worked as an attorney, a federal prosecutor, and then mayor of the small Texas town of Heath. In 2014 he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas and served in Congress for more than five years, focusing mostly on national security issues.
From an obscure congressman Ratcliffe became a prominent Trump ally in 2019. He joined the advisory team that helped Trump during the first impeachment, announced after his phone call with Zelensky. Ratcliffe called that impeachment “the weakest, fastest and least effective” in U.S. history and aggressively questioned witnesses in defense of the president.
That same year, at “one of the most discussed hearings of the Trump era,” as The Atlantic wrote, Ratcliffe sharply criticized Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who reported to the House Judiciary Committee on his investigation of Russian election interference in 2016. The report, among other things, stated that while the investigation "did not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also did not exonerate him." Ratcliffe insisted this was an unfair standard no American should face. “Donald Trump is not above the law,” he thundered. “But he, damn it, certainly should not be below the law.”
In August 2019 the president first nominated Ratcliffe for the position of Director of National Intelligence, but Ratcliffe withdrew his candidacy after a scandal — the media questioned his qualifications and suggested he had embellished information about his experience as a federal prosecutor in Texas. A few months later Trump nominated him again. In May 2020 the Senate confirmed Ratcliffe with Republican votes — without Democratic support.
His short tenure as head of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence was accompanied by accusations of politicizing the agency. In particular, Ratcliffe declassified unverified Russian material that contained compromising claims about Democrats and the 2016 election. Critics saw this as an attempt to help Trump’s reelection campaign.
“In some situations Ratcliffe behaved less like an intelligence adviser meant to help the president make decisions and more like a lawyer doing everything possible to help his client win a dispute, or like a political fighter trying to score points,” The Atlantic accused.
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After the change of power in Washington Ratcliffe did not distance himself from the former president. He became one of the founders of the Trump-aligned organization America First Policy Institute and oversaw national security issues there together with Keith Kellogg.
However, even Ratcliffe’s loyalty has its limits. After Trump’s election loss in 2020 he, according to former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, warned the president’s circle against attempts to overturn the election results. Ratcliffe opposed baseless lawsuits, pressure on state legislatures, and searches for allegedly missing ballots. He feared these actions could set a dangerous precedent for American democracy, and until 6 January he hoped the White House would concede defeat, The Texas Tribune reported.
According to The Atlantic, Ratcliffe also told Trump personally that the intelligence community had no information about foreign interference in voting machines or any changes to election results by foreign states.
But after Trump returned to the White House Ratcliffe received one of the most important positions in the new administration. In January 2025 he became head of the CIA, becoming the first person in U.S. history to have led both the Central Intelligence Agency and the entire U.S. intelligence community. His official CIA biography especially emphasizes his experience in Congress, the prosecutor’s office, and the intelligence community.
“John is a great patriot, a man the president trusts,” Vice President J. D. Vance said at Ratcliffe’s CIA confirmation ceremony.
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Ratcliffe is considered a “hawk” — but there’s a nuance
Ratcliffe is often called a “hawk,” but in American politics he is primarily known as a proponent of a tough stance toward China. He has repeatedly called the PRC the main geopolitical rival of the United States and has suggested he views Russia as a lesser threat.
At the same time, his public positions on Moscow are noticeably harsher than Witkoff’s views. As early as 2019 Ratcliffe coauthored a House resolution calling to counter Russian claims in the Black Sea, provide additional aid to Ukraine, tighten sanctions and push European countries to abandon the Nord Stream 2. That same year he supported a bill to deepen U.S.-Ukraine security cooperation.
In December 2021 Ratcliffe warned that Putin was preparing to invade Ukraine. He called the threat real, cited intelligence about the concentration of Russian forces and reminded that a similar previous buildup ended with the seizure of Crimea.
After the start of the full-scale war Ratcliffe criticized Biden for not having delivered the necessary weapons to Ukraine before the Russian attack.
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A hardline approach was also evident during Ratcliffe’s August visit to Moscow. According to The New York Times, the CIA director conveyed to the Russian side a negative assessment of its military and economic prospects and urged them to reach a deal before Russia’s situation deteriorated further. According to American sources, his message to the Kremlin boiled down to the idea that Russia is paying a huge price for minimal territorial gains, and that continuing the war will only worsen its position.
However, Ratcliffe remains first and foremost a member of Trump’s team and follows presidential policy — including when the president decides to put pressure on Kyiv.
At his CIA confirmation hearings Ratcliffe declined to independently comment on continuing weapons supplies to Ukraine, saying such decisions are made by the president. In March 2025 he publicly supported a temporary pause in sharing intelligence with Kyiv: the Trump administration used this step to force Zelensky to show willingness to enter the American peace process. Ratcliffe noted he looked forward to lifting the pause and cooperating with Ukraine on the path to peace. A few days later intelligence sharing and aid deliveries resumed. Later media reported that it was thanks to Ratcliffe that the U.S. continued to provide intelligence to Ukraine free of charge.
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What he thinks about Ukraine
His assessments of Ukraine’s military potential differ significantly from an earlier view among some in Trump’s team that Russia would inevitably win due to resource advantage. At the same time he does not promise to support Kyiv “as long as it takes,” as pro‑Ukraine Western politicians typically do.
In March 2025 at a Senate hearing Ratcliffe said Ukrainians and the Ukrainian army have been underestimated for years. He said that if proposed peace terms prove unacceptable, Ukrainians will fight “with bare hands.” He also assured senators that Trump understands the danger of a situation in which Russia gets everything it seeks.
At the same hearings Ratcliffe said that if peace negotiations succeed, neither Russia nor Ukraine would get everything they want.
However, before traveling to Moscow, he reportedly contacted Ukrainian intelligence services in advance and assured them he did not intend to discuss concessions on Kyiv’s behalf. After the visit Americans also informed Zelensky about the talks and the proposal to organize a trilateral summit.
New negotiator — new chances? Will Ratcliffe be more effective than Witkoff and Kushner
Witkoff favors informal personal contacts and an approach that resembles making a real estate deal. According to FT, his style irritates everyone: both Ukraine and the West, which believe Witkoff has not done enough to pressure Putin into softening his demands, and Russia, which partly blames him for last year’s failed summit with Trump in Alaska.
Ratcliffe — so far — receives more favorable assessments.
American commentator Tom Rogan believes that the CIA director’s access to classified information about Moscow’s and Kyiv’s motives and capabilities gives him an advantage. “Maybe the only thing that can change the situation is Putin’s long inability to achieve significant military progress. But Ratcliffe would at least offer a new approach. And it is much more likely that an intelligence officer will succeed at this than real estate businessmen,” Rogan notes.
Former Ukrainian foreign minister Pavlo Klimkin, for his part, believes Putin will take messages delivered by the head of an American intelligence service more seriously.
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War in Ukraine
Former U.S. diplomat Matthew Boyse noted that Ratcliffe “is very well versed in the Russian issue.” However, Boyse does not expect quick success: Putin believes time is on his side, increases pressure and shows no readiness for any compromise.
An aide to one of the Democratic congressmen called Ratcliffe a stronger negotiator than Witkoff. However, in his view personnel changes will not yield results without real American pressure on Moscow — sanctions, military aid to Ukraine, and a change in overall U.S. policy. All these decisions rest with Trump.
Former U.S. envoy for special assignments Stephen Sestanovich notes that the CIA director’s contacts with Russian security services may be useful for sending signals, but Naryshkin and Bortnikov are unlikely to persuade Putin to change strategy.
Thus, experts expect Ratcliffe to be better informed and more professional than Witkoff. But as long as Putin is confident that continuing the war benefits him, even the toughest and most professional White House negotiator is unlikely to succeed, as the August visit already showed. Ratcliffe told Moscow its position would worsen, but Russia did not soften its demands after his departure and increased strikes on Ukraine. The Washington Post wrote that the trip may have even strengthened Putin’s resolve to seek a military outcome.
“With Ratcliffe or without him — a breakthrough on Ukraine is not expected,” Politico reaches the gloomy conclusion.
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