US spy chief visits Russia for meetings, media reports

U.S. CIA Director John Ratcliffe ​traveled to Moscow on Tuesday for meetings ​with Russian officials, U.S. media outlets reported, ‌citing ​unnamed sources.

The trip would be the first known visit to the Russian capital by a U.S. spy chief since 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, U.S. President Donald Trump's CIA chief, who served as director of national intelligence in Trump's ‌first term. The outlets did not say whom he was meeting or what the talks are expected to ‌cover.

The CIA declined to comment. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov neither confirmed nor denied the report, telling Reuters President Vladimir Putin did not plan to have a meeting with Ratcliffe. The U.S. last week asked Ukraine not to launch air strikes around Moscow, St. Petersburg, and some northern ⁠territories ​of Russia on Monday, Tuesday and ⁠Wednesday of this week because a plane carrying a senior U.S. official would be flying to the Russian capital, said a source familiar ⁠with the matter.

The source declined to provide further information. The Financial Times first reported the U.S. message to Ukraine. On Monday, the ​U.S. 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 U.S.-Israeli war on Iran launched in February.

The U.S. 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 Zelenskiy accused Russia of supplying its version of those drones to ⁠Iran.

A Ukrainian intelligence assessment reported by Reuters in April said that Russia has aided Iran with satellite imagery ⁠for use in targeting U.S. ⁠facilities in the Middle East. Moscow denies providing such assistance and has said it is ready to help resolve the U.S.-Iran conflict.