CIA head Ratcliffe lands in Moscow for meetings, reports say
CIA Director John Ratcliffe travelled to Russia on Tuesday for meetings in Moscow, US media reported. Russia’s state-run Tass news service earlier reported that a large US military transport plane had landed in Moscow. CBS News and CNN reported that Mr Ratcliffe had flown to Moscow. It was unclear if the meetings were about US efforts to end Russia’s war against Ukraine . The CIA did not…
CIA Director John Ratcliffe made an unexpected trip to Moscow on Tuesday, according to US media reports. A large US military transport plane, a Boeing C-17 Globemaster III, landed at Vnukovo airport in Russia's capital after a brief stop in Latvia en route from Andrews Air Force Base near Washington, D.C., according to Tass news service.
It remains unclear if the visit pertains to US efforts to mediate an end to Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine. CIA did not immediately provide comment on the matter. Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov also declined to comment when asked about the aircraft. Kremlin officials have stated that no meetings with US administration officials are planned this week.
Ukrainian sources, however, have noted the visit as significant, suggesting it may be a warning that the US may harden its stance towards Russia if the conflict in Ukraine persists. This particular visit comes as the US announced sweeping sanctions on Iran on Monday, threatening economic retaliation against any country that engages in trade with Tehran.
Russia and Iran share close ties, with Iran supplying drones to Moscow for its war against Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has previously accused Russia of supplying those drones to Iran. According to a Ukrainian intelligence assessment reported by Reuters in April, Russia has reportedly provided satellite imagery to Iran for use in attacks against US bases in the Middle East. Moscow denies these allegations and has expressed willingness to help resolve the Iran conflict.
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