Leaders of Three Main Russian Intelligence and Security Agencies Have 'Visited America'

According to reports, leaders of three main Russian security and intelligence agencies have traveled to Washington, the capital of the United States, in recent days. These trips, amid new tensions between the U.S. and Russia, have been described as 'unusual.' The Russian ambassador to the U.S. had previously confirmed that Sergey Naryshkin, head of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), went to Washington to meet with U.S. officials and discuss terrorism and other issues. However, there had been no mention of the travels of two other officials, Alexander Bortnikov, head of the Federal Security Service (FSB), and General Igor Korobov, head of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia (GRU), until now. The Washington Post reported on February 11 that Bortnikov and Korobov traveled to the United States last week. According to the newspaper, both Bortnikov (FSB) and Naryshkin (SVR) met with Mike Pompeo, head of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). It is still unclear who General Korobov (head of the GRU) met with. Jon Huntsman, the U.S. ambassador in Moscow, confirmed in an interview on February 10 that Pompeo had met with Russian service officials, but Huntsman did not specify who these meetings were with or when they occurred. Huntsman told Echo of Moscow that 'just last week he (Pompeo) had a meeting regarding counter-terrorism issues that can be said to be the most significant meeting at this level of senior officials in a long time.' The Russian embassy in Washington has not yet responded to an email sent by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. A CIA spokesperson declined to provide details about the meetings of its director. An official who wished to remain anonymous stated in an email to Radio Free Europe that 'of course, we do not provide details of the schedules of U.S. security agency heads, but we assure you that all interactions with foreign intelligence agencies are conducted strictly in accordance with U.S. laws and in consultation with relevant organizations and departments.' Pompeo himself recently stated in an interview with BBC World that there is cooperation between the security agencies of the two countries, but added that Russia is still considered an adversarial country. CIA directors typically have meetings with their Russian counterparts. Nevertheless, analysts, including several former U.S. security officers, have described the simultaneous travel of the heads of three main Russian security agencies to the U.S., amid tensions between the two countries and accusations against Russia regarding interference in U.S. elections, as 'very unusual.' Steven Hall, one of these senior officials, told Radio Free Europe, 'I cannot recall in the past 15 years at any time' that the heads of all three main Russian security agencies have traveled to Washington simultaneously. Hall, who once headed CIA operations in Moscow, also stated that for Russia, these trips would be described as 'a major political victory' and thus 'from this perspective, it is strange that we (the U.S.) are gifting them this victory.' Hall added, 'Considering the current political situation in the U.S., I honestly find this astonishing. I cannot imagine who agreed to this.' U.S. intelligence agencies have accused the FSB and GRU of cyberattacks on political parties and activities in the U.S. Estimates published in 2017 by the U.S. intelligence community claimed that these two Russian organizations were behind cyberattacks and sabotage aimed at influencing the outcome of the U.S. presidential election. On the other hand, U.S. law enforcement officials link the SVR to agents and spies who were working in the U.S. and were arrested in 2010. The visit of the head of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service has also faced questions from several U.S. senators. The Democratic minority leader in the U.S. Senate reminded that Naryshkin had been placed on the travel ban list to the U.S. after Russia's annexation of Crimea. On February 10, the U.S. Treasury Department published the 'Kremlin Report,' listing dozens of officials and individuals who have gained wealth and power due to their connections with Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia. Previously, speculations had circulated about sanctions against 300 oligarchs and individuals close to Putin in the media, but the Treasury Department stated that these individuals had not been placed on the U.S. 'blacklist,' and this was merely a warning for those individuals and companies that have significant economic ties with Russian entities sanctioned by the U.S.