CIA chief makes unannounced visit to Moscow for secret talks with Russian officials

CIA Director John Ratcliffe quietly landed in Moscow on August 25, making an unannounced visit to the Russian capital aboard a US Air Force C-17A Globemaster III military transport plane. Neither the CIA nor the Kremlin has confirmed the purpose of the meetings. The trip marks Ratcliffe’s first visit to Russia since taking over as director, and it arrives at a moment when US-Russia relations remain defined by the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the diplomatic maneuvering surrounding it. What we know about the visit US media broke the story, reporting that Ratcliffe traveled on the massive military cargo aircraft typically used for heavy lift operations. The choice of a C-17A Globemaster III rather than a more discreet civilian aircraft suggests the visit, while unannounced, was coordinated at official levels between Washington and Moscow. The visit follows earlier high-level contact between the two countries. In January 2026, US envoys met with Kremlin officials to discuss Ukraine-related issues. The back-channel tradition The most recent precedent is instructive. William Burns, Ratcliffe’s predecessor, visited Moscow from November 2-3, 2021, just months before Russia launched its ...