Trump's spy chief Ratcliffe travels to Russia for meetings, reports say

CIA Director John Ratcliffe travelled to Moscow on Tuesday for meetings with Russian officials, marking the first known visit by a serving US intelligence chief to the Russian capital in nearly five years, according to US media reports.

The visit comes at a time of heightened geopolitical tensions involving Russia, Ukraine and Iran, though neither Washington nor Moscow has disclosed the agenda for the talks.

US media outlets, including CBS News and Axios, reported that Ratcliffe arrived in Moscow for discussions with senior Russian officials. The CIA declined to comment on the reports, while Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Reuters that President Vladimir Putin was not scheduled to meet the CIA chief.

If confirmed, the trip would be the first publicly known visit to Moscow by a CIA director since William Burns met Putin in November 2021, just months before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

SECURITY MEASURES AROUND THE VISIT

The reported trip coincided with unusual security precautions. According to a source familiar with the matter, the United States asked Ukraine not to conduct air strikes around Moscow, St Petersburg and parts of northern Russia between Monday and Wednesday because a senior American official was expected to travel to the Russian capital.

Flight-tracking data showed a large US military aircraft flying from the United States to Russia via Latvia on Tuesday before departing later the same day. Videos circulating on social media appeared to show a US military transport aircraft approaching Moscow's Vnukovo Airport, while other footage purportedly showed a diplomatic motorcade moving through the city.

TALKS COME AMID WIDER REGIONAL TENSIONS

Ratcliffe's visit comes as the Trump administration intensifies pressure on Iran. Earlier this week, Washington warned countries to scale back business dealings with Tehran or risk facing secondary sanctions as part of efforts to increase economic pressure on the Iranian government.

Russia remains one of Iran's closest strategic partners, maintaining extensive military, economic and diplomatic ties with Tehran.

The relationship between Moscow and Tehran has drawn increasing scrutiny since the outbreak of the Ukraine war. Iran has supplied Russia with drones used in the conflict, while Ukraine has accused Moscow of sharing military technology and expertise with Tehran.

A Ukrainian intelligence assessment reported earlier this year alleged that Russia had provided Iran with satellite imagery that could be used for targeting US facilities in the Middle East. Moscow has denied those claims and has repeatedly said it is willing to help facilitate a resolution to the ongoing US-Iran confrontation.

While the purpose of Ratcliffe's Moscow visit remains unclear, the timing has fuelled speculation that the discussions could touch on a range of security issues, including the Ukraine conflict, Iran and broader US-Russia relations.

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With inputs from Reuters