CIA Chief John Ratcliffe's Moscow Visit Worries NATO, Ukraine and Trump Allies

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CIA Director John Ratcliffe travelled to Moscow for unannounced meetings with Russian officials, U.S. media reported, in what would be the first known visit to Russia by a sitting CIA chief since William Burns travelled there in 2021. A U.S. military C-17 transport aircraft flew via Latvia to Moscow before departing later the same day, while the CIA declined to comment and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said President Vladimir Putin did not plan to meet Ratcliffe. The reported visit comes as U.S.-brokered Russia-Ukraine peace efforts have stalled and Washington was reportedly seeking a temporary pause in Ukrainian strikes while the senior U.S. delegation was in Russia. The agenda remains unclear, with Ukraine negotiations, escalation management, detainee exchanges and Russia's relationship with Iran among the issues potentially relevant to the high-level intelligence channel. The Moscow mission could offer a rare glimpse into Washington's efforts to maintain direct communication with the Kremlin amid the Russia-Ukraine war and wider U.S.-Iran tensions.