Zelenskiy Meets CIA Chief John Ratcliffe at Ireland’s Shannon Airport

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy met CIA Director John Ratcliffe at Shannon Airport in Ireland on Monday, according to two people familiar with the matter, in an encounter that comes amid continuing diplomatic efforts surrounding the Russia-Ukraine war.

The meeting occurred as the two officials’ aircraft stopped at the Irish airport for refueling. One source confirmed the talks took place Monday, while another said Zelenskiy and Ratcliffe spoke informally during the refueling stop but did not specify the exact date.

Both sources requested anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the meeting and declined to reveal what Zelenskiy and the CIA chief discussed.

Zelenskiy was traveling to New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly, where world leaders are gathering this week. The Ukrainian president has said he expects to meet U.S. President Donald Trump during the annual UN event.

Ratcliffe, meanwhile, was returning to the United States following a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Cairo, according to a source familiar with his travel.

The Shannon Airport meeting also follows Ratcliffe’s visit to Moscow less than a month earlier, where the CIA director held discussions with senior Russian intelligence officials. Neither Ratcliffe nor the CIA has publicly disclosed the details of those talks. One source told Reuters that Ukraine was among the issues discussed during Ratcliffe’s Moscow trip.

The New York Times previously reported that Ratcliffe used the Moscow meeting to convey his assessment of Russia’s position in the war and encourage Russian officials to pursue an agreement before their position deteriorated further.

The latest Zelenskiy-Ratcliffe meeting highlights continued high-level contacts involving Washington, Kyiv and Moscow as the war in Ukraine remains a major issue ahead of discussions at the UN General Assembly.