CIA Director John Ratcliffe has traveled to Moscow for meetings, according to sources familiar with the matter who spoke to CBS News, in what appears to be his first known visit to Russia since taking over as head of the agency.
The visit was revealed after a U.S. Air Force Boeing C-17A Globemaster III transport aircraft was spotted at a Moscow airport alongside a U.S. diplomatic convoy. Neither the U.S. nor Russian governments has publicly confirmed Ratcliffe’s presence in Moscow or disclosed the purpose of the visit.
The CIA also did not immediately comment.
Ratcliffe has maintained contacts with his Russian intelligence counterparts during his tenure, and the agency has played a role in several recent prisoner and detainee exchanges between Washington and Moscow.
In April 2025, Ratcliffe personally negotiated the release of Ksenia Karelina, a dual U.S.-Russian citizen. The CIA was also involved in the 2024 prisoner exchange that secured the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan.
The Moscow trip comes amid stalled U.S.-mediated peace efforts aimed at ending Russia’s war in Ukraine. Washington has been seeking to keep diplomatic channels open as Moscow and Kyiv remain far apart on several key issues.
Ratcliffe’s reported visit also recalls the secret diplomacy conducted by his predecessor William Burns, who traveled to Moscow in November 2021 and met senior Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, to warn him against launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
If confirmed, Ratcliffe’s presence in Moscow would underscore the continued importance of intelligence and back-channel diplomacy between Washington and Moscow despite the broader confrontation over Ukraine.
The exact agenda of Ratcliffe’s meetings remains unclear, and neither side has publicly provided details about the reported trip.
