CIA Director John Ratcliffe is in Moscow, Russia, for meetings, according to sources familiar with the matter who spoke to CBS News.
The reported visit follows the sighting of a U.S. Air Force Boeing C-17A Globemaster III transport aircraft at a Moscow airport, accompanied by a U.S. diplomatic motorcade. Neither Washington nor Moscow has publicly identified the American official in Russia or disclosed the purpose of the trip.
The CIA has not yet issued a statement regarding the visit.
If confirmed, this would appear to be Ratcliffe’s first known trip to Russia since becoming CIA director. He has, however, continued to maintain communication with his Russian intelligence counterparts.
A senior Ukrainian official said that, before Ratcliffe’s arrival, the United States informed Ukraine that a high-level delegation would be traveling to Moscow and requested that Kyiv temporarily halt strikes until the delegation had left.
Ratcliffe’s trip comes amid U.S. intelligence assessments suggesting that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s calculations over the risks of confrontation may be changing. According to the assessments, Putin could be becoming more willing to approve provocative actions targeting NATO members, including hybrid operations and other deniable activities that fall short of conventional military attacks. Such actions could be intended to gauge the determination of both the alliance and the Trump administration.
Meanwhile, U.S.-brokered peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine remain largely deadlocked, with the two sides continuing to disagree over several fundamental issues.
The CIA has been involved in several recent prisoner and detainee exchanges between the United States and Russia. These include the April 2025 release of U.S.-Russian dual national Ksenia Karelina, a case that Ratcliffe personally helped negotiate. The agency also participated in the 2024 prisoner exchange that resulted in the release of Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan.
Ratcliffe would not be the first CIA director to travel to Moscow during a period of heightened tensions. In November 2021, former CIA Director William Burns visited the Russian capital, where he held talks with senior Russian officials and spoke directly with President Vladimir Putin. Burns used the meeting to warn Putin against launching an invasion of Ukraine.
