# U.S. officials reportedly want CIA director to take over Russia–Ukraine talks from Witkoff

https://mins.news/en/item/54620

- Meduza, 2026-09-11 13:14 UTC
- World
- Original: https://meduza.io/en/feature/2026/09/11/go-home-man-you-re-embarrassing-u-s-officials-are-reportedly-eager-for-the-cia-director-to-take-over-russia-ukraine-talks-from-witkoff

> Many U.S. officials reportedly favor CIA Director John Ratcliffe taking a larger role in Washington’s Russia–Ukraine negotiations, despite the White House calling the report “totally fake news.” Sources portray Ratcliffe as a stronger negotiator than Steve Witkoff, but warn that replacing the envoy alone will not shift the talks without tougher sanctions on Russia and more military aid to Ukraine.

## Stories

- [US-Russia Security and Diplomatic Engagement](https://mins.news/en/topic/us-russia-security-dialogue) — Markdown: https://mins.news/en/topic/us-russia-security-dialogue.md

## Related coverage

- [Trump considering larger CIA role in Russia-Ukraine peace talks, FT reports](https://mins.news/en/item/52375) — The Kyiv Independent, 2026-09-10
- [White House may reduce Witkoff, Kushner roles in Ukraine peace process, FT reports](https://mins.news/en/item/51613) — TASS, 2026-09-09
- [Putin and Trump discuss Ukraine in an “extremely frank” call](https://mins.news/en/video/51435) — France 24 English, 2026-09-09
