The United States did not inform the European Commission (EC) about the visit of CIA director John Ratcliffe to Moscow. This was announced by the head of the EC press service Paula Pinho during a regular briefing in Brussels, TASS reports, quoted by Focus.
The statement came in response to a journalist's question whether Washington had notified its European partners in advance about the visit of the head of American intelligence to the Russian capital.
''No, the CIA does not share its plans with us'', Pinho told the media.
The information about the contact between high-ranking representatives of American intelligence and the Russian authorities has aroused increased interest in Brussels. The European Commission added that such operational trips and US diplomatic channels remain outside the scope of prior coordination with the European institutions.