CIA Director John Ratcliffe is on a secret visit to Moscow, Russia, for meetings, multiple sources familiar with the situation told CBS News on Tuesday. News of Ratcliffe’s visit came as a U.S. Air Force Boeing C-17A Globemaster-3 transport plane and a U.S. diplomatic convoy were seen at a Moscow airport. However, neither the Russian nor the U.S. government commented on the identity of the U.S. official or the purpose of the visit.
The CIA also did not immediately comment on the matter. However, earlier reports emerged of a U.S. transport plane landing in Moscow. Neither government commented on that. This is believed to be Ratcliffe’s first publicly known visit to Russia as CIA director. However, he has previously maintained contact with Russian intelligence officials. Before Ratcliffe’s visit, the United States had informed Ukraine that a high-level U.S. delegation would visit Moscow. That is why Kiev was asked to hold off on attacking Russia until the delegation’s visit is over, a senior Ukrainian official said. Meanwhile, a recent US intelligence assessment has suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s risk-taking calculus may be changing. It is feared that he may become increasingly willing to authorize provocative actions, especially against NATO member states.
This could include hybrid operations and various actions below the level of conventional military conflict, for which responsibility is difficult to directly prove. US intelligence agencies assess that Putin may want to test the resolve of the NATO alliance and the Trump administration through this. Meanwhile, the ongoing US-brokered peace talks to end the war in Ukraine have virtually stalled. There are still significant gaps between the positions of Washington, Moscow and Kiev on several key issues. The CIA has played a key role in recent prisoner exchanges between the US and Russia. This includes the release of Ksenia Karelina, a dual US-Russian citizen, in April 2025. Ratcliffe personally negotiated his release. The CIA was also involved in the 2024 prisoner swap.
That swap freed Wall Street Journal journalist Ivan Gershkovich and former US Marine Paul Whelan. Former CIA Director William Burns visited Moscow in November 2021. During that time, he met with top Russian officials and directly warned President Putin not to invade Ukraine.
