The Kremlin says CIA Director John Ratcliffe held talks in Moscow with his intelligence counterparts, a rare and secretive visit at a time when relations with Washington remain strained over Russia’s war in Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says Ratcliffe did not meet President Vladimir Putin, who was informed of the meeting. U.S. President Donald Trump called the visit “semi-routine.” Peskov stressed that Russia-U.S. relations remain in a “profound crisis.” Russia-U.S. relations sank to Cold War lows after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but appeared to warm after Trump returned to office. Trump promised to end the war swiftly, but those efforts have largely stalled since Putin visited Alaska for a summit a year ago,