CIA director ‘makes mystery visit to Moscow’ with no explanation from Kremlin or Trump

CIA director John Ratcliffe made a short visit to Moscow on Tuesday to meet with Russian officials for talks not announced by the White House or the Kremlin, according to multiple US reports.The large US Air Force C-17A Globemaster III took off from Riga in Latvia on Tuesday morning before flying across the border into

A U.S. military heavy lift aircraft which flew into Moscow with its transponder on has gained attention and sparked speculation.

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.

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

AN American plane has touched down at Moscow airport on an unexplained flight from Latvia. The US military transport plane landed mysteriously at Vnukovo International Airport, west of the Russian capital around 7am this morning, flight tracking data showed. The plane had arrived in Latvia's capital Riga on August 23 a