On Tuesday, CIA Director John Ratcliffe made a trip to Moscow to engage in discussions with Russian officials, according to U.S. media reports citing anonymous sources.
This marks the first confirmed visit to the Russian capital by a U.S. intelligence chief since Ratcliffe’s predecessor, William Burns, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in November 2021. Approximately three months following that meeting, Putin initiated Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
CBS News and Axios reported on Ratcliffe’s visit, who served as CIA director under U.S. President Donald Trump and held the position of director of national intelligence during Trump’s initial term. However, the reports did not specify the individuals he was meeting with or the topics expected to be discussed. Additional coverage came from ABC News, CNN, and the Wall Street Journal.
The CIA opted not to provide any comments regarding the visit. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov neither confirmed nor refuted the claims, stating to Reuters that there were no plans for Putin to meet with Ratcliffe.
Last week, the U.S. government requested that Ukraine refrain from carrying out airstrikes around Moscow, St. Petersburg, and certain northern regions of Russia from Monday to Wednesday of this week, due to a flight transporting a high-ranking U.S. official to the Russian capital, according to a source familiar with the situation.
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Trump administration expands U.S. sanctions on Iran targeting countries with business ties to Tehran
The source did not provide additional details. The Financial Times was the first to disclose the U.S. communication to Ukraine.
On Monday, the U.S. urged nations to sever business relations with Iran or risk facing secondary sanctions, a strategy designed to intensify economic pressure amid the ongoing U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran that began in February.
No U.S. ambassador to Russia
Currently, the U.S. does not have an ambassador stationed in Russia, which holds a close strategic alliance with Iran encompassing extensive military, economic, and diplomatic connections.
Iran has provided Moscow with drones for its military actions in Ukraine.
For critics of Russian President Vladimir Putin who have fled the country, escape doesn’t mean safety. For The National, CBC’s Terence McKenna breaks down how the Kremlin uses transnational repression to intimidate, harass and eliminate enemies beyond Russia’s borders.
In March, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of providing its own version of those drones to Iran.
An intelligence evaluation from Ukraine, reported by Reuters in April, stated that Russia has assisted Iran with satellite imagery to target U.S. facilities in the Middle East.
Moscow has denied offering such help and has expressed a willingness to assist in resolving the conflict between the U.S. and Iran.