On Tuesday, CIA director John Ratcliffe made a trip to Moscow for discussions with Russian officials, as reported by U.S. media sources citing anonymous insiders.
This marks the first confirmed visit to the Russian capital by a U.S. intelligence chief since William Burns, Ratcliffe’s predecessor, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in November 2021. Approximately three months following that encounter, Putin initiated the invasion of Ukraine by Moscow.
CBS News and Axios reported on Ratcliffe’s visit, noting that he served as CIA chief under U.S. President Donald Trump and was the director of national intelligence during Trump’s initial term. The reports did not specify the individuals he was meeting with or the agenda for the discussions. ABC News, CNN, and the Wall Street Journal also confirmed the meeting’s occurrence.
The CIA refrained from commenting on the matter. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov neither verified nor dismissed the claims, stating to Reuters that Putin had no plans to meet with Ratcliffe.
Last week, the U.S. urged Ukraine to refrain from conducting airstrikes near Moscow, St. Petersburg, and certain northern areas of Russia from Monday to Wednesday this week, due to a flight carrying a senior U.S. official heading to the Russian capital, according to a source familiar with the situation.
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Trump administration expands U.S. sanctions on Iran targeting countries with business ties to Tehran
The source did not provide additional details. The Financial Times was the first to report the U.S. request to Ukraine.
On Monday, the U.S. cautioned nations to sever business relations with Iran or risk facing secondary sanctions, a strategy aimed at increasing economic pressure to resolve the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran that began in February.
No U.S. ambassador to Russia
Currently, the U.S. does not have an ambassador in Russia, which upholds a strong strategic alliance with Iran characterized by significant military, economic, and diplomatic connections.
Tehran has supplied Moscow with drones for its offensive against Ukraine.
For critics of Russian President Vladimir Putin who have fled the country, escape doesn’t mean safety. For The National, CBC’s Terence McKenna breaks down how the Kremlin uses transnational repression to intimidate, harass and eliminate enemies beyond Russia’s borders.
In March, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of providing its version of those drones to Iran.
A Ukrainian intelligence evaluation reported by Reuters in April indicated that Russia has assisted Iran with satellite imagery to target U.S. facilities in the Middle East.
Moscow has denied giving such aid and has stated its willingness to help mediate the U.S.-Iran dispute.