Daniel Wolfram
The signing of the classified decrees as well as the sudden meeting with the director of the CIA has people wondering what will happen next for Putin and Russia.
On August 25, Russian leader Vladimir Putin signed three classified decrees on the same day a secret Moscow visit by US CIA Director John Ratcliffe took place.
The meeting marked the chief intelligence official’s first trip to the capital since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The director of the CIA shows up
Putin cleared his schedule for his meeting with the head of the CIA. The Russian leader also cancelled a public event for hundreds of guests to accommodate this meeting.
Official records published that day included Decrees 608, 609, and 610. According to The Moscow Times, those public documents dealt with standard administrative work.
However, the three preceding decrees, 605, 606, and 607, remain strictly classified. The gap follows Decree 604, which allowed the government to take control of private assets that fail to guard against drone strikes.
High-stakes meeting
Officials have not publicly confirmed the reason for the meeting between Putin and Ratcliffe.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Ratcliffe likely delivered a severe warning based on fresh intelligence.
US intelligence believes the Kremlin might be preparing to test the resilience of NATO or planning a provocation directed at a NATO country.
The Vatican calls for peace
At the same time, another high-profile diplomat also went to Russia. Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States, arrived to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Gallagher emphasized that Rome wants to help end the conflict. “We are ready to offer our good offices in any way possible in the hope that such a desired peace can be achieved as soon as possible,” he said, adding that both sides found common ground.
For now, governments around the world are watching Moscow closely to see what those secret orders actually mean for the war.
