CIA Director John Ratcliffe made an unannounced trip to Moscow this week, the first known visit to Russia by a sitting CIA director since 2021. President Trump called it “semi-routine” on Wednesday, but Ukraine says it still has not been briefed on what was discussed, despite a promise from Washington that it would be.
A US Air Force C-17 military transport aircraft flew Ratcliffe from Riga to Moscow overnight on Monday, according to officials who spoke to CNN and CBS News. He met Russian intelligence counterparts, including Sergei Naryshkin, the head of Russia’s SVR foreign intelligence service, marking the first known contact between the two men in more than two years. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed the visit on Wednesday but said Ratcliffe did not meet directly with President Vladimir Putin, who was instead briefed on the talks afterward.
What Happened
Ahead of the trip, the United States asked Ukraine to pause drone and missile strikes on Moscow and other cities in northern Russia for a three-day window covering Monday through Wednesday, according to a person familiar with the matter cited by CNN. Ukrainian officials were told a senior US official would be traveling to Russia during that period but were not initially informed that Ratcliffe himself was part of the delegation, according to Euronews.
Peskov described the contact as taking place “at the level of the special services” and called it a positive development, while declining to say whether it would affect the wider war. The CIA and the Department of Defense both declined to comment on the trip when asked by ABC News and CNN.
Latest Developments
Trump addressed the visit publicly for the first time on Wednesday, in a radio interview with host Glenn Beck. Asked whether Ratcliffe had traveled to Moscow to warn Russia against threatening NATO territory, Trump rejected the idea directly, saying Ratcliffe was not there for that reason and calling the trip “semi-routine.” He added that the two countries “both want to see it ended at this point,” referring to the war between Russia and Ukraine, and said “something may come out of” the visit.
As of Wednesday evening, Ukraine had still not received details of what was discussed, according to the Kyiv Independent, which cited a source familiar with the matter. Washington had earlier told Ukrainian officials they would be briefed once the trip concluded.
Key Facts
- CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Moscow overnight on August 24, arriving from Riga aboard a US Air Force C-17.
- It is the first known visit to Russia by a sitting CIA director since 2021, and Ratcliffe’s first trip to the country since taking office.
- Ratcliffe met Russian intelligence officials, including SVR chief Sergei Naryshkin, but not President Vladimir Putin directly.
- The US asked Ukraine to pause strikes on Moscow and northern Russian cities from Monday through Wednesday ahead of the visit.
- Ukraine has not yet been briefed on the substance of the talks, despite an earlier US commitment to share details afterward.
Reactions
Trump’s comments to Glenn Beck were his only public remarks on the trip as of Wednesday. He described Ratcliffe as “a fantastic guy” and pushed back on multiple theories about the visit’s purpose, saying it had nothing to do with warning Russia over NATO, discussing the war in Iran, or any other specific agenda floated by commentators. Ukrainian officials have not issued a public statement on the visit, and the Ukrainian government has not confirmed what, if anything, it has been told about its purpose or outcome.
Background
The visit comes as US-mediated efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war remain stalled. Putin said earlier this month that recent peace proposals from Washington and Kyiv were “exotic” and unacceptable in their current form, insisting any settlement must reflect what he calls the “realities on the ground.” Ratcliffe has previously been involved in high-stakes diplomacy with Moscow outside the war itself, including personally negotiating the release of US-Russian dual national Ksenia Karelina in a prisoner exchange in April 2025. Tuesday’s call with Naryshkin was reported by Russian state news agency TASS as the first contact between the two intelligence chiefs in over two years, with both sides describing it as an effort to maintain regular contact and reduce tension between Washington and Moscow.
Why It Matters
A CIA director traveling personally to Moscow, rather than relying on lower-level intelligence channels, signals that both governments see value in keeping a direct line open even as formal peace negotiations have stalled. The request for Ukraine to pause strikes during the visit also suggests Washington wanted to avoid disrupting the trip, at a moment when Kyiv has been expanding long-range strikes on Russian energy and military infrastructure. The lack of a briefing for Ukrainian officials, more than a day after the visit concluded, has left Kyiv without clarity on a meeting that directly touches its war.
What Happens Next
It remains unclear when, or whether, Ukraine will receive the briefing it was promised, and neither Washington nor Moscow has said whether the talks will lead to further contact between Ratcliffe and Naryshkin. Speculation about the visit’s purpose, ranging from NATO security guarantees to Iran-related messaging, remains unconfirmed by any official source. Attention now turns to whether the renewed intelligence-level contact between Washington and Moscow translates into any movement in the broader, stalled peace process.
Sources: CNN, CBS News, ABC News, The Hill, Forbes, Kyiv Independent, The Moscow Times, Euronews, RFE/RL.
