Ratcliffe Moscow Visit Reportedly Underway
CIA Director John Ratcliffe reportedly arrived in Moscow on Tuesday for an unannounced visit.
U.S. media outlets reported that Ratcliffe was in the Russian capital.
CBS News cited sources familiar with the situation. However, neither the U.S. government nor the Kremlin has confirmed his presence.
Officials have also not said who Ratcliffe might meet in Moscow.
The purpose of the reported trip remains unclear.
US Military Aircraft Lands in Moscow
News of Ratcliffe’s reported arrival came after a U.S. Air Force Boeing C-17A Globemaster III landed at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport.
Flight-tracking data showed that the aircraft flew to Moscow from Riga, Latvia.
The plane had arrived in Riga on Sunday after leaving Camp Springs, Maryland.
Camp Springs is home to Joint Base Andrews, located near Washington.
The unusual flight quickly sparked speculation about a possible visit by senior U.S. officials.
Some reports suggested that President Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner could have travelled to Moscow.
Both men have held repeated discussions with Russian officials.
A U.S. diplomatic motorcade also appeared in Moscow after the aircraft landed.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he had no information about the U.S. military aircraft.
Peskov also said the Kremlin had no meetings with U.S. administration representatives scheduled for the week.
Ratcliffe’s Reported Trip Comes Amid Ukraine War
The reported visit comes shortly after Ukraine marked its 35th Independence Day.
European leaders travelled to Kyiv to show support for Ukraine as its war with Russia continues.
No serving Trump administration representatives attended Monday’s events.
Witkoff and Kushner also stayed away despite earlier speculation that they might visit Kyiv.
Neither envoy has travelled to Ukraine since taking major roles in the administration’s diplomatic efforts.
Both men have instead held several meetings with Russian officials.
Witkoff has travelled to Moscow eight times, according to reports.
Ratcliffe has also maintained contact with Russian intelligence officials.
Ratcliffe Has Worked on US-Russia Contacts
Ratcliffe previously took part in direct discussions with a senior Russian intelligence official.
Those talks helped lead to the release of U.S.-Russian dual national Ksenia Karelina in April 2025.
The reported Moscow trip would mark a significant moment for the CIA chief.
The last CIA director known to have visited Moscow was William Burns.
Burns travelled to the Russian capital in November 2021.
His visit came only months before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
If confirmed, Ratcliffe’s reported trip would therefore mark the first known Moscow visit by a serving CIA director since Burns’ 2021 journey.
For now, the details surrounding Ratcliffe’s reported visit remain unclear.
Neither Washington nor Moscow has publicly confirmed the CIA director’s presence or disclosed the purpose of the trip.
