Kremlin Denies Planned US Meetings as Reports Indicate CIA Director John Ratcliffe is Visiting Moscow

The United States’ spy chief is reportedly visiting Moscow for meetings, according to US media outlets, even as the Kremlin states that no talks with US envoys are planned this week. CBS News, citing unnamed sources familiar with the situation, reported that CIA Director John Ratcliffe was in the Russian capital on Tuesday.

Axios separately confirmed the highest-level visit by a Trump administration official to Russia since January, quoting a US official. The outlets did not specify whom he is meeting or what the discussions are expected to cover. The CIA declined to comment, according to the Reuters news agency.

This news follows the movement of a US military transport aircraft from Riga to Moscow, as tracked by flight-tracking websites. Meanwhile, Russia stated that no talks between Moscow and US envoys are planned this week, while Russia-Ukraine peace negotiations remain stalled. “No, there are no such plans,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters during a press briefing on Tuesday.

When asked about reports that a US military plane landed in Moscow on Tuesday morning, Dmitry Peskov stated he had “no such information”. Earlier, data from Flightradar24 showed a US military C-17 traveling from the US to Latvia and onward to Moscow, departing Riga airport at 05:50 GMT and landing at approximately 07:04 GMT. Later, the plane believed to be carrying John Ratcliffe departed Moscow, according to data on the flight-tracking website.

John Ratcliffe’s reported visit occurs as US-brokered talks aimed at ending Russia’s invasion of Ukraine remain stalled. However, Moscow earlier this month freed a former US Marine detained since 2022 amid concerns about his health. Axios also reported that Washington informed Ukraine of a senior delegation traveling to Moscow in advance and asked it to suspend strikes until the delegation leaves, citing a source with knowledge of the matter. The Iran war is also a live issue between Washington and Tehran’s ally, Moscow.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe has reportedly been central to high-profile prisoner exchanges between the US and Russia since US President Donald Trump took office in January 2025, including the release of a US-Russian dual national, Ksenia Karelina. If confirmed, the reports of his visit would mark the first such trip since then-CIA Director William Burns traveled to Moscow in 2021.