CIA Director John Ratcliffe Visits Moscow Amidst Stalled U.S.-Russia Talks
CIA Director John Ratcliffe has been confirmed to be in Moscow for meetings, according to sources familiar with the situation who spoke to CBS News. He was reportedly the unidentified passenger aboard a U.S. Air Force Boeing C-17A Globemaster III transport aircraft that landed earlier today at Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport, accompanied by a U.S. diplomatic motorcade. Neither the U.S. nor Russian governments have provided comments regarding the identity of the American official or the purpose of his visit. The CIA has not issued an immediate statement on the matter.
The aircraft, registered as a Boeing Globemaster with the number 07-7181, made a direct flight from Riga, Latvia, landing in Moscow around 10:00 a.m. Greece time. The Kremlin has stated that it has no information about the aircraft's arrival.
This trip appears to be Ratcliffe’s first known visit to Russia since he became CIA director, although he has maintained contact with his Russian intelligence counterparts. The CIA has been involved in recent U.S.-Russia prisoner exchanges, including the release of Ksenia Karelina, a dual U.S.-Russian citizen, in April 2025, a case Ratcliffe personally negotiated. The agency also played a role in the 2024 exchange that secured the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan.
Former CIA Director William Burns visited Moscow in November 2021, where he met with senior Russian officials and directly warned President Vladimir Putin against invading Ukraine. Ratcliffe’s visit comes at a time when U.S.-mediated peace talks regarding Ukraine remain largely stalled, with significant differences persisting between the two sides on key issues.
