CIA Director John Ratcliffe made an unannounced visit to Moscow on Tuesday for meetings with Russian officials. This trip marks Ratcliffe's first known visit to Russia since taking over as the U.S. spy chief.
The visit was detected after a U.S. Air Force Boeing C-17A Globemaster III transport plane landed at Moscow's Vnukovo Airport. A U.S. diplomatic motorcade was also spotted in the Russian capital.
The CIA declined to state the purpose of the visit. The trip comes as US-brokered talks aimed at ending the Ukraine war have stalled and Ukrainian forces have stepped up attacks deep inside Russia, including in the capital.