U.S. believes Russia is seeking to re-establish spy network in the West under the guise of diplomacy – CNN

Russia sees the talks with the Donald Trump administration on restoring its diplomatic presence in the United States as an opportunity to rebuild its spy network in the West. For Washington, such negotiations represent a significant concession to Moscow, which threatens the national security of the United States.

CNN writes about this, citing current and former US officials. According to them, this issue is currently a priority for Russia in its negotiations with the United States.

After a phone call between US President Donald Trump and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and a subsequent high-level meeting in Riyadh earlier this month, the US and Russia agreed to begin negotiations on the resumption of regular work of their embassies and consulates.

On February 27, U.S. and Russian delegations met in Turkey to discuss more details such as staffing levels, visas, diplomatic banking, and other operational issues. The US State Department said that the two countries held "constructive" talks and agreed to continue discussions at another meeting "in the near future."

Although Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized the importance of restoring regular diplomatic services and communications, current and former U.S. and other Western officials say the talks represent a significant concession to Moscow, which is seeking to restore intelligence officers under diplomatic cover in its embassies and consulates in Washington, New York, and Houston.

Russia's espionage capabilities have been significantly weakened over the past decade as the United States and Europe have regularly expelled Russian spies operating from embassies under diplomatic cover. Since 2016, more than 100 Russian diplomats suspected of espionage have been expelled from the United States, and after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russian agents were expelled en masse from European countries. Moscow has also not had an ambassador to Washington since October 2024, when its ambassador, Anatoly Antonov, left his post.

Two U.S. officials have said that rebuilding the network of spies in the West under the guise of diplomacy is such a priority for Russia that it will refrain from the planned high-level meeting until substantial progress is made.

For years, Moscow has been particularly focused on getting back its diplomatic facilities in San Francisco, New York, and Washington, D.C., which the United States confiscated in 2017 in response to Russia's interference in the 2016 election, the sources said. Trump also closed the Russian consulate in Seattle in 2018 because of its proximity to the US submarine base, the Kitsap Naval Base.

A congressional official familiar with intelligence on previously expelled Russian "diplomats" called it "extremely troubling" that Russian personnel could return in greater numbers.

"The last wave of expulsions consisted almost entirely of undercover operatives," he said.

"It's absolutely ridiculous that this is even a possibility given how much it threatens U.S. national security and how it would require more FBI counterintelligence resources, especially when the FBI is facing downsizing and layoffs," he said, commenting on speculation that a Russian spy network under diplomatic cover has been re-established.

In general, current and former officials said that these talks on reopening diplomatic missions are an attempt by the Trump administration to return to business as usual with Russia, even as it continues to wage a brutal war in Ukraine.

"They (Russia – Ed.) want to hide their crimes. By engaging in these discussions with the US, they suddenly become a respected partner. It also gives the U.S. and Russia another channel to work together, bypassing the Europeans, which is something Putin desperately wants," said a former senior U.S. official.

American intelligence officers and FBI agents have long believed that the size of Russia's diplomatic presence in the United States should be limited, the interlocutors said.

OBOZ.UA reported that Germany suspected Russia of spying on a military base where Ukrainian forces are undergoing training. Mysterious drones have been detected over the Schwesing airbase again, with at least six such occurrences registered in January.

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