US spy chief John Ratcliffe on Russia visit, US media reports
The unannounced trip would be the first known visit to Moscow by a CIA director since Ratcliffe’s predecessor, William Burns, in 2021
US CIA Director John Ratcliffe travelled to Moscow on Tuesday for meetings with Russian officials, US media outlets reported, citing unnamed sources.
The visit would be the first known visit to the Russian capital by a US spy chief since Ratcliffe’s predecessor, William Burns, held talks with Vladimir Putin in November 2021.
About three months after that meeting, the Russian president launched Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. CBS News and Axios reported the visit by Ratcliffe, US President Donald Trump’s CIA chief, who served as director of national intelligence in Trump’s first term.
The outlets did not say who he was meeting with or what the talks were expected to cover. The CIA declined to comment. The Kremlin did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The US last week asked Ukraine not to launch air strikes around Moscow, St Petersburg, and some northern territories of Russia on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week because a plane carrying a senior US official would be flying to the Russian capital, said a source familiar with the matter.
The source declined to provide further information. The Financial Times first reported the US message to Ukraine