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CIA director John Ratcliffe travelled to Moscow on Tuesday for meetings with Russian officials, US media outlets reported, in what would be the first known visit to the Russian capital by a US spy chief in almost five years.Ratcliffe’s predecessor, William Burns, held talks with Vladimir Putin in November 2021. About three months after that meeting, the Russian president launched Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.CBS News and Axios reported the visit by Ratcliffe, who served as director of national intelligence in Trump’s first term. The outlets did not say who he would meet or what the talks are expected to cover.The CIA declined to comment, and the Kremlin did not immediately respond to a request for comment.On Monday, the US warned countries to cut business ties with Iran or face secondary sanctions, a move aimed at stepping up economic pressure on Tehran to settle the war that Trump launched in February.The US has no ambassador to Russia, which maintains a close strategic partnership with Iran involving extensive military, economic and diplomatic ties.Tehran supplied Moscow with drones for its war against Ukraine. In March, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of supplying its version of those drones to Iran.A Ukrainian intelligence assessment in April said Russia has aided Iran with satellite imagery for use in targeting US facilities in the Middle East. Moscow denies providing such assistance and has said it is ready to help resolve the US-Iran conflict.Later on Tuesday, a plane believed to be carrying Ratcliffe departed from Moscow, according to data from flight-tracking website Flightradar24.Reuters
