U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director John Ratcliffe visited Moscow Tuesday in first known trip to Russia as the service’s head, American media reported.
The reports come after data from tracking site Flightradar24 showed a U.S. military C-17 traveling from the United States to Latvia, and then to Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport. The same aircraft left Russia’s capital city a few hours later, according to the website.
Asked about the flight on Tuesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he did “not have such information.”
The purpose of Ratcliffe’s reported visit is not known, and neither the intelligence agency nor the White House has commented on the matter.
The reported Russia visit is strategically significant because it suggests Washington may be pursuing a sensitive intelligence or diplomatic channel with Moscow even as public negotiations over Ukraine remain stalled and tensions continue to rise. The lack of official confirmation makes the purpose unclear, but the timing—amid escalating strikes, worsening civilian casualties, and the post-New START nuclear arms-control impasse—raises the possibility that Ukraine, intelligence matters, or broader strategic stability could be on the agenda. (AFP)
