Top intelligence chiefs hold secret meeting in Singapore to discuss war in Ukraine - Reuters

In Singapore, representatives of about two dozen of the world's largest intelligence agencies held a secret meeting on the sidelines of the "Shangri-La Dialogue" security forum this weekend.       

About this reports Reuters with reference to n'five sources.

According to the publication, the Singapore government has been holding such meetings for several years in a row within the framework of the forum, but they have not been reported before.

The United States, in particular, was represented by Director of National Intelligence Avril Haynes. Also present were Samantha Goel, head of India's foreign intelligence gathering agency, the Research and Analysis Wing, and a Chinese intelligence representative. No Russian representative attended the meeting, one of the sources said. Ukraine's Deputy Defense Minister Volodymyr Havrylov attended the forum, but said he did not attend the intelligence meeting, the agency reported.

"There is an unspoken code among intelligence services that they can speak when more formal and open diplomacy is more difficult – this is a very important factor in times of tension, and the event in Singapore helps to facilitate this, " the source said.

There is little information on the agenda of the talks. The agency reports only that the intelligence agencies discussed the Russia-Ukraine war and transnational crime.

The United States, Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand run the so-called "Five Eyes Network" to collect and share a wide range of intelligence, and their intelligence officials meet frequently.

Larger meetings of the intelligence community are less frequent and almost never publicized.

At the security forum, more than 600 delegates from 49 countries held three days of plenary sessions, as well as bilateral and multilateral meetings behind closed doors.