CIA Director John Ratcliffe is in Moscow for meetings, according to sources cited by CBS News.
His visit became known after a US Air Force Boeing C-17A Globemaster III transport aircraft and a US diplomatic motorcade were spotted at a Moscow airport. Neither Washington nor Moscow has confirmed the identity of the US official or the purpose of the trip.
A senior Ukrainian official said the US had informed Kyiv that a high-level delegation would travel to Moscow and asked Ukraine to suspend strikes until the delegation left.
Ratcliffe’s visit comes as US intelligence assesses that Russian President Vladimir Putin may be increasingly willing to authorize provocative actions against NATO members, including hybrid operations, to test the alliance and the Trump administration.
US-mediated peace talks between Russia and Ukraine remain largely stalled, with the two sides still divided over key issues.
The CIA has also been involved in recent US-Russia prisoner exchanges, including the release of Ksenia Karelina in April 2025 and the 2024 deal that freed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former US Marine Paul Whelan.
