CIA Director John Ratcliffe's recent visit to Moscow was for the purpose of warning Russia against attacking any NATO members, sources familiar with the matter told CBS on Wednesday.
Ratcliffe also discussed Iran while in Russia, telling intelligence officials there that additional sanctions would be implemented by the US unless the Strait of Hormuz was reopened for shipping, the sources said.
A source familiar with the details of Ratcliffe's trip told The Jerusalem Post that Trump administration officials asked Ukraine several days ago to pause any strikes against Moscow and other cities from Monday through Wednesday.
CIA director did not meet with Putin during Moscow visit, Kremlin claims
Ratcliffe held talks with Russian intelligence officials during his visit to Moscow, but did not meet President Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin said on Wednesday.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Putin had been briefed on the outcome of Ratcliffe's talks, but declined to provide further details.
Peskov said it was also too early to say whether such contacts between the two countries' intelligence agencies could help pull US-Russia relations out of what he described as a "deep crisis."
Reuters, Jerusalem Post Staff, and Amichai Stein contributed to this report.