CIA Director John Ratcliffe is in Moscow, Russia, for meetings, sources familiar with the situation told CBS News on Tuesday. News of his trip comes after a US Air Force Boeing C-17A Globemaster III transport plane was spotted at a Moscow airport, along with an American diplomatic motorcade. Neither the U.S. nor Russian governments have commented on the identity of the U.S. official in Russia or the purpose of the visit. The CIA had no immediate comment. It appears to be Ratcliffe’s first known trip to Russia as CIA director, although he has maintained contact with his Russian intelligence counterparts. The CIA has also played a role in recent detainee exchanges between the United States and Russia, including the April 2025 release of Ksenia Karelina, a dual U.S.-Russian national, whose case Ratcliffe personally negotiated. The agency also participated in the 2024 prisoner exchange that secured the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and Navy veteran Paul Whelan. Former CIA Director William Burns traveled to Moscow in November 2021, where he met with senior Russian officials and spoke directly to President Vladimir Putin to warn him against invading Ukraine. Ratcliffe’s visit comes at a time when US-brokered peace talks with Ukraine remain largely at a standstill and the sides remain far apart on key issues. More from CBS News Go deeper with The Free Press in:
