In August 2026, CIA Director John Ratcliffe made an unannounced trip to Moscow to meet Russian intelligence chiefs - and pass on a message to Vladimir Putin about the Ukraine war. But what exactly did he want to tell the Russian leader?
That visit was followed by rounds of talks between US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner - and even a direct phone call between President Donald Trump and Putin. Despite America’s efforts, little on the battlefield appears to have changed.
Russia is unleashing devastating new weapons, including the cheap and deadly jet-powered Banderol, Geran-4 and Geran-5 drones, which - alongside Moscow’s arsenal of ballistic missiles - are pushing Kyiv's air defences to breaking point. It all points to a relentless and devastating winter for Ukraine.
At the same time, Russia seems to be increasing its hybrid warfare against Ukraine’s allies. Using those same drones, it struck a train near the Ukraine-Poland border, narrowly missing European diplomats and a former CIA director.
In this FourSight, we look ahead to a crucial few months in this conflict, hear from Ralph Goff, a 35-year CIA veteran working in Ukraine, speak to defence analyst Kateryna Bondar about what the spy diplomacy has really achieved, and explore why Russia's claims of frontline advances don't match reality.
Finally, we're joined by Mykola Bielieskov, a research fellow at Ukraine's National Institute for Strategic Studies, to break down how close peace between Russia and Ukraine really is.
-------
00:00 - The top secret Moscow spy meeting
02:47 - War update
03:30 - Russia's brutal tactics
04:12 - Putin's new weapons
06:17 - Winter is coming
07:09 - Ukraine's counter-attacks
07:50 - Russia's war on Europe and Nato
10:08 - A pivotal few months
11:38 - Expert interview: Mykola Bielieskov
-------
Thanks to: Kateryna Bondar, Ralph Goff and Mykola Bielieskov.
Presenter: Kiran Moodley
Producer: Harriet Tatham
Editor: Matthew Lucas
Motion Graphics: Ian Watkins
Series Producer: Kieron Bryan
-------
Get more news at our site - https://www.channel4.com/news/
Subscribe to our Substack newsletter: https://channel4news.substack.com/subscribe
Follow us:
TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@c4news
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/channel4news/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/Channel4News
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Channel4News/