CIA Director John Ratcliffe has arrived in Moscow, according to reporters from CBS and Axios, citing unnamed sources. According to CBS journalist Jennifer Jacobs, Ratcliffe will hold meetings with officials in Moscow.
Axios journalist Barak Ravid reports that the US authorities have asked Ukraine to halt strikes on Russian territory whilst Ratcliffe is visiting. Financial Times journalist Christopher Miller reported on social media platform X that last week officials from the Trump administration asked Kyiv not to carry out strikes on Moscow, St Petersburg and the northern regions of Russia with its long-range missiles and drones on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, when the US was due to send a plane carrying a senior official to the Russian capital, Ukraine agreed, according to sources familiar with the request.
The US and Russian authorities have not yet commented on reports of Ratcliffe’s arrival in Moscow.
Alexander Yunashov, a journalist with the Kremlin press pool, also reported on Ratcliffe’s visit to Moscow, citing sources. According to him, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s schedule was altered to accommodate this meeting.
Reports of the visit emerged after a US Air Force Boeing C-17A military transport aircraft and a diplomatic motorcade were spotted at one of Moscow’s airports.
This is Ratcliffe’s first known visit to Russia as Director of the CIA. It is reported that he had previously maintained working contacts with his Russian counterparts. According to CBS, Ratcliffe was personally involved in the release in April 2025 of Ksenia Karelina, a US and Russian citizen.
In early August, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the US would make efforts “in the coming weeks” to ascertain whether peace talks between Russia and Ukraine could be resumed.
Kyiv has repeatedly stated its readiness for peace talks and a ceasefire at any time.
On 24 August, the 35th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence, more than 50 UN member states called on Russia to agree to a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine and to resume peace talks. Russian representative Vasily Nebenzya rejected the calls.