US Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe travelled to Moscow on Tuesday (August 25) for meetings with Russian officials, according to US media reports, in what would be his first known visit to Russia since taking charge of the CIA.
Neither the CIA nor the Russian government has publicly confirmed the visit or disclosed the purpose of the meetings.
The reports emerged after a US Air Force Boeing C-17A Globemaster III military transport aircraft was tracked flying from Riga, Latvia, to Moscow’s Vnukovo International Airport.
Flight-tracking data reportedly showed the aircraft had originated from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, the US military facility that also hosts presidential aircraft. The C-17 landed in Moscow on Tuesday before later departing the Russian capital.
Ratcliffe’s Moscow trip
The exact purpose of Ratcliffe’s reported meetings remains unknown.
It was not immediately clear whether the meetings were connected to the Trump administration’s efforts to negotiate an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
US-mediated talks aimed at ending the conflict have largely stalled, with Washington, Moscow and Kyiv still divided over key issues.
The reported visit comes at a particularly sensitive moment in US-Russia relations, with Washington continuing to pursue diplomatic channels with Moscow despite the lack of a breakthrough in the Ukraine negotiations.
Mystery US military flight
The unusual arrival of the American military aircraft in Moscow initially sparked speculation about the identity of the passengers and the purpose of the mission.
The C-17 Globemaster III is a US military transport aircraft designed for strategic and tactical airlift, including the movement of personnel and equipment.
Kremlin declines to comment
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on the reported US aircraft’s arrival.
Peskov said the Kremlin did not have meetings scheduled with US administration officials during the week, according to Russian state media reports.
The CIA, Pentagon and US Air Force have also not commented on the reported trip.
First known Moscow visit as CIA chief
The reported trip appears to be Ratcliffe’s first known visit to Russia since becoming CIA director.
The CIA has been involved in previous US-Russia detainee negotiations. The agency played a role in the 2024 prisoner exchange that secured the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former US Marine Paul Whelan.
Former CIA Director William Burns also travelled to Moscow in November 2021, shortly before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, where he met senior Russian officials and spoke with President Vladimir Putin.
For now, the identities of the Russian officials Ratcliffe reportedly met and the subjects discussed remain undisclosed.
