The trip is believed to be Ratcliffe’s first trip to Russia as CIA director, although he has maintained contact with his intelligence counterparts in Moscow. John Foreman, who served as British military attaché in Moscow between 2019 and 2022, told Radio 4’s PM program that the visit could focus on “escalation management”, given speculation that recent drone activity in Germany could be linked to Russia. He said: “The Americans do not normally send such a high-ranking official to Moscow.” Foreman said the trip could also concern the release of American detainees currently held in Russia. Ratcliffe played a role in negotiations for the release of Russian-American citizen Ksenia Karelina, who was imprisoned in Russia for more than a year after being accused of providing support to Ukraine. The CIA also participated in a prisoner exchange deal with Russia in 2024 that saw the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, as well as former US Marine Paul Whelan and Russian-American journalist Alsou Kurmasheva. The United States has had tense relations with Russia since it launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Since then, Russia has been isolated on the world stage and has faced international economic sanctions. Ratcliffe appears to be one of the highest ranking. US officials will visit the country during President Donald Trump’s second term. Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at a summit in Alaska last year, but the meeting did not lead to any progress. Subsequent US-led peace talks between Russia and Ukraine appear to have stalled. Additional reporting by Washington correspondent Daniel Bush and BBC Verify
