CIA Director John Ratcliffe is operating inside a contradiction at the heart of US policy. Trump attacks Zelensky, blames Ukraine for prolonging Russia's war, and moves closer to Putin, while Ratcliffe advises that same president and runs an agency whose work remains central to Ukraine's defence.
The Work on the Ground
The CIA has helped develop Ukraine's intelligence services since 2014. It continues to provide intelligence used for Ukrainian strikes deep inside Russia, while US satellites give warning of incoming missiles and drones. A retired senior intelligence officer told The Atlantic that among American personnel working in Ukraine, the CIA is the lead agency.
That support continues because Trump's rhetoric has turned against Kyiv. A senior Ukrainian intelligence official described Ratcliffe as well informed about the reality of the war and said American personnel in Ukraine were giving strong support. Ratcliffe is positioned to tell Trump what his agency sees, rather than what the president appears to want to hear.
What Ratcliffe Told Moscow
In August, Ratcliffe travelled to Moscow and met Russian intelligence leaders. He conveyed the CIA's assessment that neither side was winning the war. That was an intelligence judgment delivered to Russia. It rejected any demand that Ukraine stop defending itself or accept Moscow's terms.
Trump has blamed Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries for higher fuel prices and threatened to end intelligence support if the attacks continue. The pressure is aimed at a campaign that hits infrastructure tied to Russia's ability to sustain its invasion. It also puts at risk intelligence cooperation that helps Ukraine strike military targets and protect its people from Russian attacks.
The CIA is helping Ukraine impose costs on the aggressor while the president threatens to punish Ukraine for doing so.
The two policies differ. Ratcliffe can keep the agency's work moving and give Trump an accurate account of the battlefield. Trump can still decide to cut off support. Putting a working intelligence partnership under a president who treats Ukrainian resistance as the problem carries real danger.