The heads of the U.S. and Russian spy agencies held a phone conference on Tuesday, agreeing to maintain regular contact to ease tensions in U.S.-Russia relations, according to reports on Wednesday.
In the first such discussion in years, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Sergei Naryshkin, head of Russia's external intelligence agency SVR, spoke to each other, Russian state news agency Tass reported.
The two leaders agreed on regular communication between their agencies to enhance international stability and security and to reduce tensions between Moscow and Washington.
This call marked the first direct contact since former President Donald Trump took office when he promised to end the three-year conflict in Ukraine.
The conversation coincided with Ukraine’s support for a U.S. proposal calling for a 30-day cease-fire, as well as Ukraine’s agreement to engage in immediate talks with Russia in Saudi Arabia.
The previous exchange between CIA and SVR heads took place in November 2022 when Naryshkin spoke with then-CIA Director William Burns in Ankara.
