Kremlin Aide Yury Ushakov has dismissed Western media reports that Vladimir Putin refused to meet with CIA Director John Ratcliffe during the latter’s visit to Russia.

“As far as I know, there were no such plans. The CIA director met with senior officials from the Russian intelligence community,” Ushakov said in a comment to Life journalist Alexander Yunashev.

The Kremlin aide emphasized that the conversations were confidential and strictly official. “This is why I don’t have the right to tell you about their essence, let alone comment on them,” he added.