CIA Director John Ratcliffe is in Moscow, where he is holding meetings, CBS News reports, citing sources familiar with the situation.
The purpose of the trip and the names of Ratcliffe’s interlocutors are not disclosed. Neither American nor Russian authorities officially announced the visit. The CIA did not respond to CBS’s request.
A possible visit by a high-ranking American official became known after a US Air Force C-17 Globemaster III military transport aircraft landed at Moscow airport.
If the information is correct, this is Ratcliffe’s first known visit to Russia since he became head of the CIA, although he has maintained contacts with representatives of Russian intelligence services before.
CBS notes that the CIA participated in negotiations between Washington and Moscow, including on prisoner exchanges. Ratcliffe’s visit comes as the United States continues to try to make progress in negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.