The heads of U.S. and Russian intelligence spoke by phone and agreed to resume "regular contact" as Washington D.C. seeks to move toward a ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv. The news also come as after the U.S. resumed intelligence sharing with Ukraine following its willingness to accept a 30-day cessation of hostilities in the war.
Russian state news agency TASS said on Wednesday that CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Sergei Naryshkin, head of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) had a conversation the past day, the first such communication since November 2022. The agency added that the two also agreed to "reduce confrontation in relations between Moscow and Washington."
Relations between the two countries will face a potential milestone as the U.S. is expected to take its ceasefire proposal to Moscow following Kyiv's acceptance. Speaking to press in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed hope Russia will "say yes to peace."
"The ball is now in their court. The president's number one goal is for the war to end. I think today Ukraine has taken a concrete step in that regard, we hope the Russians will reciprocate," Rubio added.
The terms of the ceasefire were not disclosed, but The Associated Press reported earlier on Tuesday that it would cover the Black Sea and long-range missile strikes, as well as the release of prisoners.
President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, is expected to travel to Moscow later this week. He could meet President Vladimir Putin and get the country's response to the matter.
Another report, this one by Bloomberg, cautioned that Western Security officials believe Russian President Vladimir Putin has no intention of compromising on land, peacekeepers and Ukrainian neutrality demands, potentially complicating any positive outcome.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov rejected the report, saying "Russia is open for peace efforts, for peace settlement around Ukraine, and we actually prefer to reach our goals through peaceful and diplomatic means." "If today and tomorrow shows that Ukraine is ready for negotiations, it will be a different story."
Because of @POTUS leadership, we are one significant step closer to ending the bloody war in Ukraine. Per the President's direction, the pause on intelligence sharing with Ukraine has ended.
— DNI Tulsi Gabbard (@DNIGabbard) March 12, 2025
Kyiv also saw an improvement in its recently-strained relation with Washington, as the Trump administration resumed intelligence-sharing with the country following its acceptance of ceasefire conditions. Director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard confirmed the development in a publication on X.. "Because of @POTUS leadership, we are one significant step closer to ending the bloody war in Ukraine," she added.
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