CIA launches EU charm offensive – Politico
CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with EU officials last week in an attempt to rebuild strained relations with US intelligence agencies, Politico reported, citing three people familiar with the matter.
According to the report published on Friday, Ratcliffe met with the EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, as well as senior officials from the EU Intelligence and Situation Center (INTCEN) and the EU Military Staff Intelligence Directorate (EUMS). He sought to reaffirm Washington’s commitment to intelligence-sharing and to convey that the CIA “wants to keep lines open,” Politico said.
CIA spokeswoman Liz Lyons told the outlet that Ratcliffe discussed “evolving threats” from Russia and China. “Any reporting that suggests concerns were raised that the US is not a reliable partner are false and disconnected from reality,” she said.
Politico suggested that some allies began to lose trust after US President Donald Trump briefly suspended intelligence sharing with Ukraine last March and appointed “loyalists” to key positions. Some Democrats have labeled Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s pick to oversee the intelligence agencies, a “Russia asset,” which she has denied.
Last month, CIA-linked software giant Palantir criticized Britain’s plans to introduce digital IDs for all citizens, with the company’s UK chief, Louis Mosley, calling the measures “very controversial.”
Another US-based tech company, encrypted messenger Signal, has threatened to leave the EU market if the bloc pushes through its Chat Control plan. Ratcliffe has defended the use of Signal for official communications, saying most CIA officers rely on the messenger.
