‘Go home, man. You’re embarrassing.’ U.S. officials are reportedly eager for the CIA director to take over Russia–Ukraine talks from Witkoff.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s potential emergence as Washington’s chief negotiator on the Russia–Ukraine war has energized many U.S. officials, even though the White House has officially denied any such plan, Politico reported.

The Financial Times wrote on September 9 that Ratcliffe would take on a “larger role” representing the United States in the negotiations. American officials had shared that information with their European counterparts, according to the paper.

Steve Witkoff would continue participating in the negotiations alongside Ratcliffe, the FT wrote, while Jared Kushner could shift his focus to settling the war in Gaza and the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran. The White House press office called the Financial Times report “totally fake news.”

Politico’s sources describe Ratcliffe as a stronger negotiator than Witkoff. But one of them stressed that simply replacing the special envoy won’t be enough to change the situation: nothing will shift until the United States starts putting real pressure on Russia through tougher sanctions and increased military aid to Ukraine.

“If Ratcliffe gets involved, he knows Russian issues very well,” Matthew Boyse, who worked on Eurasian affairs at the State Department during the first Trump administration, told the outlet. He also cautioned against expecting quick success in negotiations under Ratcliffe, since Vladimir Putin believes time is on his side and therefore “is showing no interest in moving off fixed maximalist positions.”

Many in Washington also welcome Ratcliffe’s potential appointment, viewing Witkoff’s approach as amateurish. After a recent meeting with Putin, for instance, Witkoff said: “When we retire, we’ll have all these incredible stories and incredible memories, and yours will be right at the top of it all.” An unnamed Washington official responded: “Who talks about retirement in literally one of the most critical meetings, ever? Go home man, you’re embarrassing.”

A Politico source in Ukraine said they had no information yet indicating Ratcliffe would take charge of the Russia–Ukraine issue but stressed that Kyiv has been “working with the U.S. at every level, including the CIA.”

Ratcliffe flew to Moscow in late August, though the purpose of the trip remains unclear. Officials in both the United States and Russia downplayed its significance, describing it as a routine visit within the framework of intelligence agency contacts. Western media outlets have offered widely differing accounts of the trip’s real purpose, ranging from a call to scale back cooperation with Iran to a warning against attacking NATO countries.

War in photos. Kyiv