Kremlin denies US talks as CIA chief’s Moscow visit reported
The Kremlin has dismissed reports of scheduled diplomatic meetings, even as US media confirm CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s presence in Moscow, marking a significant shift in high-level engagement between the two powers.
The Kremlin has denied that formal talks with United States envoys were scheduled for the week, despite US media reports indicating that CIA Director John Ratcliffe visited Moscow on Tuesday. The visit is described as the highest-level trip by a Trump administration official to Russia since January 2025, occurring at a time when US-brokered peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine remain stalled.
According to reports from CBS News and Axios, Ratcliffe was in the Russian capital on Tuesday, although the specific agenda and the individuals he met have not been disclosed. The CIA has declined to comment on the visit, leaving the details of the engagement largely unconfirmed by the agency itself.
Flight-tracking data from Flightradar24 provided physical evidence of the delegation’s movement, showing a US military C-17 aircraft travelling from the United States to Latvia before proceeding to Moscow. The aircraft departed Riga airport at 05:50 GMT and landed in Moscow at approximately 07:04 GMT. Later that day, the plane, believed to be carrying Ratcliffe, departed the Russian capital.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov addressed the reports during a press briefing, stating, “No, there are no such plans” for talks with US envoys this week. When specifically asked about the landing of the US military plane, Peskov said he had “no such information,” a response that contrasts with the available flight-tracking data.
Washington reportedly informed Ukraine of the senior delegation’s travel in advance and requested a suspension of strikes while the officials were in the capital. This request, reported by Axios, suggests an effort to manage the security environment during the visit, although it has not been officially confirmed by the White House or Kyiv.
The diplomatic context is further complicated by the ongoing Iran war, which remains a live issue between Washington and Moscow. Ratcliffe has been central to high-profile prisoner exchanges between the two nations since President Donald Trump took office, including the recent release of a former US Marine detained since 2022. If confirmed, this visit would mark the first comparable trip since then-CIA Director William Burns travelled to Moscow in 2021.
