Zelensky Meets CIA Director Retkoff During Plane Refueling Stop in Ireland

President Zelensky Holds Talks with CIA Chief John Retkoff

According to Рубрика — Політика: On September 21, 2026, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with CIA Director John Retkoff at Shannon Airport in Ireland. The meeting occurred during a refueling stop en route to New York, where Zelensky is scheduled to attend the annual United Nations General Assembly gathering of world leaders. Retkoff was returning from a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

Less than a month earlier, at the end of August 2026, Retkoff made an unannounced trip to Moscow. During this visit, he engaged with Russian intelligence officials to discuss the situation in Ukraine, Iran, and Russia’s hybrid threats to Europe. According to two sources, Russian President Vladimir Putin initially intended to meet with Retkoff but canceled after receiving unfavorable assessments of the war’s progress from the CIA director. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that

“a meeting between Putin and Retkoff was never planned.”

Shifts in U.S. Diplomatic Efforts

The White House is currently considering reducing the roles of Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in negotiations involving Russia and Ukraine. John Retkoff is expected to take on a more prominent position in diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the conflict. Witkoff’s recent eighth visit to Russia was intended to maintain his leading role in the talks concerning Ukraine.

• On September 6, 2026, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Kyiv, where they held three rounds of discussions with Ukrainian officials and European partners.
• The day before, on September 5, they visited Moscow, conducting negotiations with Vladimir Putin that lasted over three hours.

During a phone call, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin did not address changes to the composition of the U.S. negotiation team.

The encounter between Zelensky and Retkoff highlights the deepening cooperation between Ukraine and the United States amid the ongoing war with Russia. The CIA director’s growing involvement in diplomatic initiatives may signal a strategic shift in the U.S. approach to resolving the conflict. Meanwhile, the potential scaling back of other administration officials’ participation points to evolving U.S. foreign policy dynamics toward Ukraine-developments that international observers and partners should closely monitor.

The recent meeting between President Zelensky and CIA Director Retkoff highlights ongoing shifts in U.S. diplomatic strategies concerning Ukraine and Russia. This follows Retkoff's unannounced visit to Moscow, where he sought to establish a more serious dialogue with Russian intelligence officials. Such developments indicate a possible recalibration of U.S. engagement in the region, particularly as the situation evolves on the ground.