CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Moscow to meet with Russian intelligence officials, the Kremlin reported Wednesday. The visit coincided with the landing of a U.S. military C-17A Globemaster III transport aircraft at Moscow's Vnukovo airport on Tuesday.
President Donald Trump, when asked about the visit, characterized it as "semi-routine." He also stated that the U.S. is working to end the war in Ukraine, adding, "We would like to see the war with Ukraine end. Now something may come out of it. We're working very hard to get that war ended and frankly they both want to see it ended at this point."
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that "there have been contacts via the security services" but stated there were no meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Peskov added that Putin is kept informed of all developments.
The last known visit by a CIA director to Moscow was by William Burns in November 2021, three months before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began. Data from Flightradar24 indicated the C-17A Globemaster III departed Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, flew to Riga, Latvia, and then proceeded to Moscow.
A senior Ukrainian official told The Associated Press that Washington had informed Kyiv of the delegation's travel to Moscow and requested a temporary suspension of strikes in certain areas, including Moscow and St. Petersburg, until the delegation's departure. Strikes in other regions of Russia reportedly continued.
White House, the CIA, and the U.S. Embassy in Moscow have been contacted for further comment.