WASHINGTON-Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe made a surprise visit to Moscow on Tuesday, U.S. officials said, his first publicly known trip to the Russian capital.
It comes as the U.S. struggles to end Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the Iran war, although the reason for the visit wasn't immediately clear. The U.S. has collected intelligence showing Russia's early preparations for a possible military mobilization in Ukraine and plans for testing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's resolve, The Wall Street Journal has reported.
Analysts said Ratcliffe could meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to deliver a warning. "It could be to say, 'We know what you are thinking about doing, and you better not,'" said Beth Sanner, a former U.S. deputy director of national intelligence for mission integration. "It could also be about the Iran ceasefire and putting someone else in the discussion," she said, adding Ratcliffe might also touch upon the Kremlin's support for Iran following a new U.S. sanctions campaign against the regime.
Online flight trackers spotted a Boeing C-17 Globemaster flying from Riga, Latvia, to Moscow's Vnukovo International Airport, long used by top visiting officials because of its relative proximity to the capital's center.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists earlier in the day that he had no information regarding the plane that touched down around 10 a.m. Moscow time and said no meetings between the Kremlin and any representatives of the Trump administration were planned this week.
The U.S. and Russia have maintained a working relationship during the Ukraine and Iran wars. Trump hosted Putin in Alaska for a Ukraine-focused summit and the Trump administration has secured the release of three Russia-held hostages.
The CIA declined to comment. CBS News earlier reported the visit.
During the Biden administration, then-CIA Director William Burns, who had earlier served as ambassador to Russia, made at least one trip to Moscow in November 2021. He warned Putin against invading Ukraine, citing intelligence the U.S. collected about his plans for an all-out assault. Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Ratcliffe, one of Trump's closest aides, becomes the latest U.S. official to make the trip to Moscow following several visits by Steve Witkoff, the president's envoy for Ukraine-Russia peace talks. Jared Kushner and Josh Gruenbaum joined Witkoff for one visit to the capital and meeting with Putin.
In March of 2025, shortly after Trump's inauguration, Ratcliffe and Sergei Naryshkin, the head of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service, or SVR, held their first phone call, where they "discussed issues of cooperation...in areas of mutual interest."
The two also promised to keep in regular contact to maintain stability in and reduce confrontation between the two countries.
