Top 20 intelligence chiefs hold secret meeting in Singapore

Reuters, citing five sources, reported that the Singapore government has been holding similar meetings for several years in a row as part of the forum, but they have not been reported before.

It is noted that the US was represented by Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines. Also present were Samant Goel, head of India's foreign intelligence gathering agency, 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.

“The meeting is an important fixture on the international shadow agenda. Given the range of countries involved, it is not a festival of tradecraft, but rather a way of promoting a deeper understanding of intentions and bottom lines,” said one person with knowledge of the discussions.

“There is an unspoken code among intelligence services that they can talk when more formal and open diplomacy is harder - it is a very important factor during times of tension, and the Singapore event helps promote that.”

In addition, it is also noted that there is little information about the agenda of the talks. The agency reports only that the intelligence agencies discussed the Russian-Ukrainian war and transnational crime.

According to one source, the tone of the meeting was cooperative rather than confrontational.

A representative of Singapore's Defense Ministry confirmed that participants in the Shangri-La Dialogue, including intelligence officials, have the opportunity to meet with their counterparts.

• On June 2, Ukraine's Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov arrived in Singapore to participate in the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum. On the first day, he met with his Singaporean, Australian, and New Zealand counterparts, as well as the head of the Pentagon.