CIA Director John Ratcliffe is reportedly in Russia for meetings, reports CBS. The trip was not made public but became apparent after a US Air Force Boeing C-17A Globemaster III transport plane was seen in Moscow. A US diplomatic motorcade was also seen in Moscow though neither Washington nor the Kremlin have made any comments about the reported visit.
A flight tracking service showed the plane, originating at Joint Base Andrews near Washington, DC, and traveling to Moscow. ABC reports that the plane stopped over in Riga before going on to Moscow. It's unclear as to what the meetings are about. Russia has not commented on the meetings either.
Both Ukraine and Russia are engaged in ongoing strikes against each other, with strikes targeting energy infrastructure and other key elements of civilization. Talks could be about a potential prisoner exchange or the war. Trump administration officials have traveled to the region to speak with leaders and statesmen in an attempt to bring hostilities to a halt.
Ratcliffe is not believed to have traveled to Russia since becoming CIA Director under the second Trump administration. US-mediated talks in an attempt to help bring an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine following Russia's 2022 invasion of their neighboring nation have been on-and-off since President Trump took office in 2025.
The CIA, CBS reports, has been involved in US-Russia "detainee exchanges, including the April 2025 release of a U.S.-Russian dual national Ksenia Karelina, whose case Ratcliffe personally negotiated." The CIA under the Biden administration facilitated the release of two Americans who have been imprisoned in Russia, Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan.
CIA Director William Burns under Joe Biden traveled to Moscow in 2021 to urge Vladimir Putin not to engage in war with Ukraine, but those cautions were not fruitful and Russia launched the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Biden promised support for Ukraine and delivered weapons to aid their defense.
A flight tracking service showed the plane, originating at Joint Base Andrews near Washington, DC, and traveling to Moscow. ABC reports that the plane stopped over in Riga before going on to Moscow. It's unclear as to what the meetings are about. Russia has not commented on the meetings either.
Both Ukraine and Russia are engaged in ongoing strikes against each other, with strikes targeting energy infrastructure and other key elements of civilization. Talks could be about a potential prisoner exchange or the war. Trump administration officials have traveled to the region to speak with leaders and statesmen in an attempt to bring hostilities to a halt.
Ratcliffe is not believed to have traveled to Russia since becoming CIA Director under the second Trump administration. US-mediated talks in an attempt to help bring an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine following Russia's 2022 invasion of their neighboring nation have been on-and-off since President Trump took office in 2025.
The CIA, CBS reports, has been involved in US-Russia "detainee exchanges, including the April 2025 release of a U.S.-Russian dual national Ksenia Karelina, whose case Ratcliffe personally negotiated." The CIA under the Biden administration facilitated the release of two Americans who have been imprisoned in Russia, Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan.
CIA Director William Burns under Joe Biden traveled to Moscow in 2021 to urge Vladimir Putin not to engage in war with Ukraine, but those cautions were not fruitful and Russia launched the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Biden promised support for Ukraine and delivered weapons to aid their defense.
