Trump praises Ratcliffe's 'outstanding work' on Ukraine file

President Donald Trump said that CIA Director John Ratcliffe is doing "an outstanding job," following his expanded powers in efforts to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.

This came in response to journalists asking whether Ratcliffe would take on a larger role in negotiations aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.

Trump added that Ratcliffe "is involved in everything."

This development comes as Ratcliffe is being given a leading and direct role in managing diplomacy between Moscow and Kyiv to revive stalled peace talks.

Observers note this shift aims to reduce reliance on envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, redirecting their efforts toward other issues, while leveraging Ratcliffe’s direct channels with Russian and Ukrainian intelligence.

Journalists also asked Trump about his confidence in the ability of U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to reach an agreement.

Trump cited success in Gaza as an example of Witkoff and Kushner’s performance, saying: "Look at Gaza as an example. Look at the fact that we recovered all the hostages. We recovered the hostages."

He added: "People forget there isn’t much fighting in Gaza. Hamas is now ready to give up its weapons," praising Witkoff and Kushner’s efforts, and stating: "They’ve done an outstanding job. No one else could have done this task."