CIA Director Meets Privately with Top EU Officials on Trust in Washington – Politico

Director of the US Central Intelligence Agency John Ratcliffe paid a non-public visit to Brussels in the last week of October, where he met with senior foreign policy and intelligence officials of the European Union. About this reported Politico, citing informed sources.

According to media reports, Ratcliffe made the trip to convey a "not-so-subtle message" that Europe can still trust the United States.

Three people with knowledge of the meeting said that Ratcliffe met with the head of European diplomacy Kaja Kallas, as well as with senior officials from the EU Intelligence and Situation Centre (INTCEN) and the Intelligence Directorate of the Military Staff of the bloc (EUMS).

The talks were aimed at calming nerves and reaffirming Washington's commitment to intelligence sharing as concerns grow in some European capitals about the direction of U.S. foreign policy under the president Donald Trump's leadership.

His administration's erratic policy toward Ukraine – such as the sudden termination of intelligence sharing with Kyiv in March – and its desire to politicize intelligence by appointing Trump loyalists – have undermined Europe's trust in Washington's reliability.

Officially, Ratcliffe was in Brussels to brief the North Atlantic Council, NATO's political decision-making body, one of the unnamed diplomats said. However, the official's meeting with EU foreign policy officials sent a clear message: The CIA wants to keep channels of communication open, Politico notes.

This meeting is not expected to be a one-off: one of the officials said that they should take place regularly from now on. The media outlet adds that the CIA chief and his colleagues also discussed common challenges, including Russia, China, and the Middle East.

In a comment to Politico, US intelligence spokeswoman Liz Lyon said that Ratcliffe met with European officials to discuss "evolving threats that Russia and China pose to transatlantic security" and strategies for cooperation to counter these dangers.

"Any reporting that suggests concerns were raised that the U.S. is not a reliable partner are false and disconnected from reality," the official said.

As Politico notes, the CIA chief's visit comes at a sensitive time: European services are working to overcome decades of mistrust and create a joint EU intelligence operation to counter Russian aggression, while also revising their intelligence-sharing arrangements with the United States. Earlier in October, Dutch civilian and military intelligence told local media outlet De Volkskrant that they had suspended some exchanges, citing political interference and human rights concerns.

• In July, the Ukrainian HUR reported to LIGA.net that if the United States stops sharing intelligence with Ukraine, Kyiv will still be able to receive information on the activity of Russian ballistic missile launchers.