CIA Director John Ratcliffe flies to Moscow on US Air Force C-17
A US Air Force C-17 landed at Moscow's Vnukovo airport on August 25 carrying CIA Director John Ratcliffe for meetings with Russian officials. The flight originated from outside Washington, D.C. and stopped in Riga, Latvia before continuing to Moscow. Neither Washington nor Moscow has officially explained the purpose of the mission. Such flights have been extremely rare since Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Why it matters: The first known CIA director visit to Moscow since the Ukraine war began signals a return to direct intelligence-channel diplomacy at a moment when both sides have repeatedly ruled out political negotiation.
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