Director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Sergei Naryshkin held a telephone conversation with the head of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the agency reported on March 12, 2025. During the conversation, the heads of the intelligence agencies discussed prospects for cooperation on issues of mutual interest, as well as ways to resolve crisis situations in the world. As specified by the SVR, the parties agreed to maintain regular contacts in order to help strengthen international stability, ensure security and reduce the level of confrontation between Moscow and Washington.

The conversation was a rare example of direct interaction between the two countries' intelligence services amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and general tensions in bilateral relations. The SVR stressed that the initiative was aimed at preventing the escalation of global risks, but did not disclose specific topics for discussion. According to analysts, the discussion could have concerned coordinating efforts to combat international terrorism, arms control, or preventing incidents in areas where Russia and the United States have common interests, such as Syria or the Arctic.

Naryshkin's contact with the CIA chief came shortly after talks in Jeddah, where the US and Ukraine agreed on a 30-day truce, and Washington promised to resume military aid to Kyiv. Russia has not yet confirmed its participation in this process, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov rejected the idea of ​​​​deploying NATO peacekeepers in Ukraine. Against this background, the dialogue between the intelligence services may signal an attempt to find common ground in conditions when official diplomatic channels remain limited. According to Reuters, in February 2025, intelligence officials from the two countries already held closed consultations in a neutral country, discussing cybersecurity and the exchange of information on terrorist threats.