CIA Director John Ratcliffe visits Russia, on what was a secret trip

A U.S. military plane landed at an airport in Moscow, Russia, on Tuesday, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe was among those on board. Charlie D'Agata reports.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe reportedly made a surprise Moscow visit, but neither the US nor Russia confirmed it. Reports cite flight data and a US official.

John Ratcliffe, director of the Central Intelligence Agency in the U.S., travelled to Moscow on Tuesday for meetings with Russian officials, U.S. media outlets reported, citing unnamed sources.

CIA head Ratcliffe lands in Moscow for meetings, reports say  thenationalnews.com

Before his trip, the US requested Ukraine to temporarily stop drone and missile attacks on Moscow and other cities in northern Russia, according to the report.

Washington reportedly alerted Ukraine to refrain from strikes until delegation leaves Moscow, US media reports.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe secretly visited Moscow aboard a not-so-secret C-17 Globemaster to engage in high-level discussions with Russian officials. His visit was reported by CBS News and was cited by Russian state media, including TASS. U.S. and Russian officials both declined to comment or claimed ignorance. Kreml

CIA Director John Ratcliffe made an unannounced visit to Moscow. He flew in from Riga aboard a U.S. Air Force Boeing C-17 military transport plane that landed at Vnukovo Airport on the morning of Aug. 25. Around 7 p.m., it emerged that the American plane that had brought Ratcliffe had departed Moscow.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe Makes Surprise Trip to Moscow  WSJ

A US Air Force C-17 military transport plane landed in Moscow on Tuesday, Aug. 25 after flying from Riga, raising questions about the mission. CBS News later reported that CIA Director John Ratcliffe was in Moscow for alleged meetings with Russian authorities.

Unannounced trip reported by US media is said to be Ratcliffe’s first known visit to Russia as CIA chief The CIA director, John Ratcliffe, has made an unannounced visit to Moscow, US media reported, after flight data showed an American military aircraft flew to the Russian capital, where a US diplomatic motorcade was l

A US Air Force transport jet made a highly unusual landing in Moscow on Tuesday, sparking a frenzy of theories about its mysterious mission.

The reported visit comes as Ukraine-Russia peace talks have stalled.

John Ratcliffe reportedly arrived in the Russian capital on Tuesday for meetings, in what appears to be his first visit to Russia as CIA director.

The CIA, Department of Defense and Air Force declined to comment.

Ratcliffe is one of Trump's most trusted advisers and heavily involved with the Iran war, though it is unclear what he may be discussing with Russian leaders.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe has traveled to Russia for meetings, CBS reported, after Russia’s state-run Tass news service reported that a large US military transport plane had landed in Moscow on Tuesday.

The C-17 plane was spotted landing in Moscow shortly before CBS News reporter Jennifer Jacobs reported that CIA Director John Ratcliffe had traveled to Moscow aboard a C-17.

The mysterious flight sparked confusion. 15:20, Tue, Aug 25, 2026 Updated: 15:20, Tue, Aug 25, 2026 Ratcliffe (Image: Getty)CIA Director Ratcliffe reportedly travelled to Russia aboard a C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft for meetings in Moscow on Tuesday.MORE UPDATES TO FOLLOW... Get the latest news from around t

The US spy chief is reportedly in Russia for talks after a military plane was spotted arriving outside the capital and a diplomatic motorcade was filmed driving through the city centre