Key facts
- The U.S. asked Ukraine to avoid striking Moscow and St. Petersburg during CIA Director John Ratcliffe's visit to Russia.
- The visit marks Ratcliffe's first known official trip to Russia.
- A U.S. Air Force C-17 military transport plane landed in Moscow.
- The U.S. and Russia have seen intensified bilateral contacts since President Donald Trump took office.
- Peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine remain stalled over territorial issues.
The United States requested that Ukraine refrain from conducting strikes on Moscow and St. Petersburg during a visit by CIA Director John Ratcliffe to Russia, according to a source familiar with the situation. The source suggested the U.S. doubts the efficacy of Russian President Vladimir Putin's air defense systems.
This visit, confirmed by the source and previously reported by CBS News, is Ratcliffe's first known official trip to Russia. He has maintained contact with his Russian counterpart, SVR chief Sergei Naryshkin, who has previously indicated a willingness to meet. Earlier on August 25, a U.S. Air Force C-17 military transport plane landed at Moscow's Vnukovo Airport around 10 a.m. local time, having departed from Riga. Footage shared by Moscow media showed a convoy of cars with U.S. diplomatic license plates in the city shortly after the plane's arrival.
Bilateral contacts between the U.S. and Russia have increased since President Donald Trump took office, with a pledge to negotiate a peace settlement in Ukraine. Despite visits by Trump's envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, to Moscow, peace talks have stalled due to significant differences over territorial issues. Witkoff and Kushner's planned visits to Ukraine were reportedly postponed due to intensified Russian attacks on Kyiv.
Despite the stalemate in peace negotiations, diplomatic channels between Washington and Moscow remain open. These channels were instrumental in brokering the release of former U.S. Marine Robert Gilman, who had been imprisoned in Russia for four years. The CIA has a history of involvement in prisoner exchanges between the two countries.