Russian President Vladimir Putin has been informed about CIA chief John Ratcliffe's visit to the country, Kremlin said on Wednesday, a day after reports of a ‘mystery plane’ landing in Moscow surfaced. Russia also said that Ratcliffe had "contacts" with Russia's special services during his first Moscow trip as CIA chief but didn't speak to Putin.
"There were contacts through the intelligence agencies, but there were no meetings of any kind with the Russian president," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, as quoted by news agency AFP.
Peskov also called the US spy chief's talks with Russian intelligence a “positive development”. He had earlier told Reuters that Putin did not plan to have a meeting with Ratcliffe.
Data from Flightradar24 had showed a US military C-17 plane travelling to Latvia and then on to Moscow. Reports said that Ratcliffe was on that plane but the purpose of the visit was not disclosed.
Why is US spy chief in Russia?
Ratcliffe's US visit comes at a time when US intel has indicated that Vladimir Putin is planning "provocative actions" against NATO allies, including Ukraine, according to a CBS News report.
{{/usCountry}}Ratcliffe's US visit comes at a time when US intel has indicated that Vladimir Putin is planning "provocative actions" against NATO allies, including Ukraine, according to a CBS News report.
{{/usCountry}}While some media outlets said that Ratcliffe was in Russia to speak with officials, there was no official word from the CIA.
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The trip would be the first known visit to Moscow by a US 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.
US directive to Ukraine ahead of Ratcliffe's visit
According to a Reuters report, The US had asked Ukraine to avoid air strikes near Moscow, St. Petersburg, and northern Russia for three days because a senior US official was traveling to Moscow.
The request was made to reduce risks during the official’s visit.
What next for US-Russia ties?
As Kremlin reacted to the CIA Director's visit to Russia, it also said that it was “too early” to predict if the strain in US-Russia ties could be overcome.
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Russia and Iran's close ties, among others, have strained ties between Trump and Putin's administrations. Iran has supplied drones to Russia, while Ukraine has accused Russia of helping Iran militarily, but Moscow denies any such assistance.