Moscow [Russia], August 25 (ANI): United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director John Ratcliffe has reportedly arrived in Moscow for high-level "secret meetings," according to reports by CBS News and other international media outlets.
The unannounced visit is the first by a sitting CIA chief since 2021.
The CIA, Department of Defence and Air Force declined to comment on the development, as per a report in ABC News.
Early today, an American Boeing C-17A Globemaster III military transport aircraft was spotted landing at Moscow's Vnukovo International Airport, according to online air traffic monitoring systems, Russian news agency TASS reported.
As per the report in Russian official media outlet, the aircraft, which originated from the Andrews Air Force Base near Washington DC, touched down in the Russian capital at approximately 10 am Moscow time (07:00 GMT). According to available flight tracking data, the heavy-lift transport plane followed a multi-stop route before entering Russian airspace. It had a prior stop at the Charleston International Airport/Air Force Base and then at Riga in Latvia, before continuing its journey toward the Russian border.
While the CIA has declined to comment, sources familiar with the trip suggest Ratcliffe is slated to meet with top Russian security and intelligence officials.
Director Ratcliffe has reportedly maintained a quiet but consistent line of communication with his Russian counterpart, SVR chief Sergey Naryshkin. Following Ratcliffe taking office as CIA Director, the two spy chiefs held a notable phone call on March 11, 2025, their first direct contact in over two years, according to CBS News.
Experts suggest the visit may also involve sensitive negotiations regarding future prisoner exchanges, following Ratcliffe's personal role in the April 2025 release of US-Russian dual national Ksenia Karelina.
The mission mirrors the November 2021 visit by former Director William Burns, who traveled to Moscow in a final attempt to avert the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
A source within the European Union air traffic control authorities confirmed to TASS that the US military plane departed from Latvia and proceeded directly toward Russian territory. The Boeing C-17A Globemaster III is a premier strategic transport aircraft used by the United States Air Force for the rapid delivery of troops and all types of cargo.
The specific purpose of the mission and the nature of the cargo on board have not been officially disclosed by either the Pentagon or the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. No official statement has been released regarding whether the flight is related to diplomatic logistics, prisoner exchanges, or other bilateral administrative matters.
Al Jazeera earlier cited Flightradar24 and reported that a US Air Force transport plane landed at Moscow's Vnukovo airport on Tuesday, according to Flightradar24, but Kremlin said it has no information about the aircraft or its arrival.Following the start of the Ukraine war, the US, along with its European allies has imposed economic sanctions on Moscow. These include a reciprocal ban on aircraft. Russian planes are prohibited from entering US and EU airspace, and Russia has similarly closed its skies to "unfriendly nations." (ANI)
CIA Director John Ratcliffe on secret Moscow visit: Reports
