The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) head, John Ratcliffe, travelled to Moscow for unannounced talks, as reported by BBC’s US news partner CBS.
He arrived in the Russian capital earlier on Tuesday, but Washington and Moscow have not confirmed the purpose of the visit or its attendees. In‑person talks between high‑level American and Russian officials are rare.
Flight‑tracking data shows a large U.S. military C‑17 transport aircraft departed from the United States via Latvia, landing at Moscow’s Vnukovo International Airport at around 07:04 GMT. The aircraft returned to Riga before 17:00 GMT. Social‑media footage also displayed the C‑17 approaching Vnukovo.
Additional footage appeared to show a diplomatic motorcade moving through Moscow streets. Prior to the trip, U.S. officials informed Ukraine that a senior delegation would travel to Moscow, and urged Kyiv to suspend strikes until their departure, according to a senior Ukrainian source.
Sources say this is Ratcliffe’s first trip to Russia as CIA director, although he has maintained ongoing contact with his Russian intelligence counterparts.
John Foreman, a former British military attaché in Moscow, said the visit could focus on “escalation management,” especially after recent drone activity in Germany that may be linked to Russia. He added that the trip might also involve the release of U.S. detainees in Russia.
Ratcliffe’s past work includes the negotiated release of Russian‑American citizen Ksenia Karelina, and a 2024 prisoner‑swap deal that freed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, and Russian‑American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva.
Since the full‑scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, U.S. relations with Russia have been fraught; Russia has been widely isolated and faced international economic sanctions. Ratcliffe’s visit represents one of the highest‑ranking U.S. officials to travel to Russia during President Donald Trump’s second term.
Trump’s previous engagement with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a summit in Alaska last year, failed to generate a breakthrough. Subsequent U.S.+led peace talks between Russia and Ukraine have likewise stalled.
Additional reporting by Washington correspondent Daniel Bush and BBC Verify.
