Zelenskiy meets CIA chief Ratcliffe at Irish airport before UN assembly

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and U.S. CIA Director John Ratcliffe met informally at Shannon Airport in Ireland while their aircraft were being refueled. The brief encounter took place as Zelenskiy was en route to New York for the annual United Nations summit, and Ratcliffe was heading back after consulting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. Neither participant disclosed the substance of their discussion, and both sources requested anonymity.

The meeting follows Ratcliffe’s earlier visit to Moscow, where he met Russian intelligence leaders to talk about Ukraine, though the CIA has not released details. Earlier reporting indicated Ratcliffe used that Moscow trip to convey a pessimistic view of Russia’s war effort and to press for a settlement. The timing underscores ongoing diplomatic engagement between Kyiv and Washington amid the conflict.