MOSCOW – CIA Director John Ratcliffe has traveled to Moscow for talks with Russian officials, marking the first visit to Russia by a senior US administration official since January and Ratcliffe’s first trip to the country since taking office, according to two US officials.
Ratcliffe arrived in Moscow on Tuesday with a high-level delegation, US media reported. The visit is considered one of the highest-profile trips to Russia by a senior official of the Trump administration in recent months.
According to reports citing sources familiar with the matter, Washington informed Ukraine in advance about Ratcliffe’s trip. The United States also asked Ukraine to suspend all military attacks until Ratcliffe and his delegation had left Moscow.
Ratcliffe departed Washington on Sunday aboard a US government aircraft and initially landed in Latvia. On Tuesday, he traveled from Riga to Moscow aboard a US Air Force C-17 transport aircraft.
US broadcaster CBS first reported Ratcliffe’s visit. The CIA did not immediately comment on the reports.
The visit comes amid continued efforts by Washington and Moscow to maintain high-level contacts over the war in Ukraine and broader US-Russia relations.
Source: Axios
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