CIA Director John Ratcliffe arrives in Moscow for talks
CIA Director John Ratcliffe arrived in Moscow on August 25 to meet with Russian officials. This is his first known visit to Russia since becoming CIA director and the highest-level visit by a Donald Trump administration official to Russia since January.
The trip was reported by CBS News and Axios, citing sources familiar with the situation. US and Russian authorities had not officially disclosed the visit's program at the time of publication.
According to Axios, Ratcliffe left Washington on August 23 and first headed to Latvia on a US government plane. On Tuesday, he arrived in Moscow from Riga.
The sources did not specify whom exactly the CIA director is expected to meet in the Russian capital or what issues are on the negotiation agenda.
CBS News notes that Ratcliffe has previously maintained contacts with representatives of Russian intelligence services, but his current trip, according to available data, became his first visit to Russia as CIA director.
CIA involved in US-Russia negotiations
American intelligence has been involved in certain closed contacts between Washington and Moscow in recent years. In particular, the CIA participated in prisoner exchange negotiations.
In April 2025, Ratcliffe personally participated in negotiations preceding the release of US-Russian citizen Ksenia Karelina. The CIA was also involved in a large-scale prisoner exchange in 2024, which resulted in the release of Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich and former US Marine Paul Whelan from Russia.
The previous widely known visit of a sitting CIA director to Moscow took place in November 2021. At that time, agency head William Burns met with senior Russian officials and conveyed Washington's warning amid the buildup of Russian troops near Ukraine. A few months later, Russia launched a full-scale invasion.
Visit occurs amid talks on war in Ukraine
Ratcliffe's trip is taking place while the US continues mediation efforts to end the Russian-Ukrainian war. However, as CBS News notes, the parties' positions on several key issues still differ significantly.
Neither the White House nor the CIA has publicly explained whether the current visit by the US intelligence chief is directly related to the Ukraine talks. Therefore, the content of his meetings in Moscow and possible agreements remain unknown.
Ratcliffe has led the CIA since January 2025. Previously, during Donald Trump's first presidential term, he served as US Director of National Intelligence.
