Archive · 22 Sep 2026
Zelenskyy and CIA Chief Meet During Irish Refuelling Stop
Volodymyr Zelenskyy is the president of Ukraine.
John Ratcliffe leads the United States Central Intelligence Agency.
The two men met at Shannon Airport in Ireland.
Their planes were stopping there to get fuel.
Zelenskyy was travelling to New York for a major United Nations meeting.
Ratcliffe was returning from a meeting with Egypt’s president.
Officials did not say what Zelenskyy and Ratcliffe discussed.
Their meeting happened while the war between Russia and Ukraine and efforts to find peace were continuing.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met CIA Director John Ratcliffe at Shannon Airport in Ireland.
The meeting occurred during a refuelling stop as Zelenskyy travelled to New York for the annual UN General Assembly.
The officials spoke while their aircraft were being refuelled, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
No details of the conversation were disclosed, and the sources spoke anonymously because of the meeting’s sensitivity.
The meeting came amid continuing Russia-Ukraine war tensions, stalled peace efforts and Ratcliffe’s recent trip to Moscow.
- Who
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and CIA Director John Ratcliffe.
- What
- They held a private meeting during a refuelling stop.
- When
- September 22, 2026, as reported; the meeting occurred during Zelenskyy’s trip to the annual UN General Assembly.
- Where
- Shannon Airport in Ireland.
- Why
- The purpose of the conversation was not disclosed; it occurred amid the continuing Russia-Ukraine war and diplomatic efforts to reach a settlement.
- Meeting location
- Shannon Airport, Ireland
- Participants
- Volodymyr Zelenskyy and John Ratcliffe
- Travel context
- Zelenskyy was travelling to New York for the annual UN General Assembly
- Conversation details
- No details were publicly disclosed
- Ratcliffe’s prior stop
- He was travelling back from a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi
- Broader context
- The meeting came as Russia-Ukraine peace efforts faced difficulties and Russian attacks on Ukraine intensified during the summer