RussiaAugust 25, 2026 5:53 pm • 2 min readCIA Director John Ratcliffe testifies during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on worldwide threats on March 18, 2026 in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)CIA Director John Ratcliffe has traveled to Russia aboard a military plane for meetings in Moscow, CBS News reported on Aug. 25, citing undisclosed sources.It remains unclear who the CIA chief is meeting or what is on the agenda. The U.S. and Russia have not officially confirmed the visit.This marks Ratcliffe's first known official trip to Russia. The CIA director has nevertheless maintained contact with his Russian counterpart, SVR chief Sergei Naryshkin, who has previously signaled readiness to meet Ratcliffe.Earlier on Aug. 25, the Flightradar24 tracking service reported that a U.S. Air Force C-17 military transport plane departed Riga in the morning and landed at Moscow's Vnukovo Airport at around 10 a.m. local time.The plane was previously stationed at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland — the base also used by Air Force One and other planes carrying top U.S. officials.Shortly after the plane landed, Moscow media shared footage of a convoy of cars with U.S. diplomatic license plates driving through the city.The U.S. and Russia have seen intensified bilateral contacts since U.S. President Donald Trump took office last January and pledged to negotiate a peace settlement in Ukraine.Despite repeated visits by Trump's peace envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, to Moscow, the negotiations have effectively stalled as both Russia and Ukraine remain far apart on territorial issues.Both Witkoff and Kushner were expected to make their first visits to Ukraine this week, but the visits were reportedly "postponed" due to intensified Russian attacks against Kyiv.Despite the deadlock in peace talks, Washington and Moscow continue to keep their diplomatic channels open, which on Aug. 11 helped to broker the release of former U.S. Marine Robert Gilman, who had been imprisoned in Russia for four years.The CIA has previously played a role in prisoner exchanges between Russia and the U.S.