CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Moscow this week for talks with Russian intelligence officials, marking a rare in-person encounter involving a senior U.S. official in Russia.
The U.S. government did not announce the visit. Instead, it came to light through reporting and publicly visible signs of American activity in and around Moscow.
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The Kremlin later confirmed that Ratcliffe met with Russian intelligence officials but said President Vladimir Putin did not attend the meeting. The Kremlin said Putin was briefed afterward.
The meeting took place as the war in Ukraine entered another period of heavier strikes, efforts to negotiate an end to the fighting showed little progress and relations between Washington and Moscow remained deeply strained.
Washington stays quiet
U.S. officials have said little publicly about the trip.
CBS News said the CIA declined to comment. The Washington Post reported that it received no comment from the Pentagon or Air Force, while the White House did not respond to its questions.
That silence left other clues to fill in the timeline.
CBS News connected Ratcliffe to the visit after observers spotted a U.S. Air Force C-17A in Moscow and footage emerged of an American diplomatic motorcade in the city.
According to flight data reviewed by The Washington Post, the C-17 spent about 8 1/2 hours in Moscow on Tuesday. On the way, it stopped in Riga, Latvia, after departing Joint Base Andrews outside Washington.
Another military aircraft associated with senior government travel, a C-40B, reached Riga from Andrews, The Post reported. Public flight records did not establish that the plane continued into Russia.
The Kremlin confirms only part of it
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed Wednesday that Ratcliffe had contact with Russian intelligence services.
“All I can tell you is that there have been contacts via the security services,” Peskov said, according to Reuters. “I can tell you that there have been no meetings with the Russian president. Naturally, President Putin is kept informed of everything without delay.”
Peskov characterized continued communication between intelligence agencies as possible even during periods of tension between governments. He said it was too soon to determine whether Ratcliffe’s visit would have any broader effect on relations.
Kyiv was told before the trip
Ukraine was alerted ahead of the Moscow visit.
A senior Ukrainian official said Washington told Kyiv in advance that a senior U.S. delegation was traveling to Moscow and asked Ukraine to pause strikes until the Americans had left Russia.
The request came during an increase in long-range attacks by both sides. Moscow has intensified drone and missile strikes on Ukrainian cities, while Ukraine has carried out attacks far inside Russian territory.
A tense moment for US-Russia ties
The timing is what makes the visit stand out.
U.S. efforts to broker an end to the Russia-Ukraine war have produced little visible progress, with major disagreements between the countries still unresolved.
Recent U.S. intelligence assessments suggest Putin may be increasingly willing to test NATO without risking a direct military confrontation.
The Washington Post separately reported that analysts are watching for possible Russian challenges involving the Baltic states or elsewhere in NATO.
Washington and Moscow are also on opposite sides of the conflict in Iran. According to The Post, Russia aided Iran by sharing information about the locations of American military forces and equipment in the region.
A familiar back channel
Direct CIA contact with Moscow is unusual, but it has played a role during past crises.
William Burns made the previous known trip to Moscow by a CIA director in November 2021. During that visit, he cautioned Russian officials against attacking Ukraine. Nevertheless, Russia launched its full-scale invasion weeks later.
The CIA has also taken part in efforts to free Americans detained by Russia. The agency participated in the 2024 prisoner exchange that brought Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and Marine veteran Paul Whelan home.
Separately, Ratcliffe directly helped negotiate the April 2025 release of U.S.-Russian dual national Ksenia Karelina.
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