A proposal for a three-way meeting between Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy allegedly emerged during Ratcliffe's visit to Moscow last week.
Unnamed sources said the visit was aimed at assessing the possibility of Russia returning to negotiations with Ukraine mediated by the United States. The sources said the discussions included whether senior Russian intelligence officials could persuade Putin to begin negotiations.
Positive assessment of Bortnikov
The same sources alleged that Ratcliffe viewed Aleksandr Bortnikov, director of Russia's Federal Security Service, as a constructive figure who could help revive diplomatic efforts.
Trump described Ratcliffe's visit to Moscow as a routine business activity. The U.S. president said the visit was not intended to warn Russia about attacks targeting NATO territory.
Claim of a Russia-Ukraine agreement
It was also alleged that Ratcliffe called on Bortnikov during the visit to reach an agreement with Ukraine.