US President Donald Trump says “something may come out of” CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s unannounced visit to Moscow, amid speculation over talks with Russian intelligence officials.
Ratcliffe travelled to the Russian capital on Tuesday aboard a military aircraft and left several hours later. Neither the CIA nor the Pentagon has publicly explained the purpose of the visit.
Speaking on Wednesday, Trump described the meeting as “semi-routine” but said the US wanted to see an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“I hate to disappoint people, but a lot of the rumours surrounding the visit were not accurate,” Trump said during a conversation with conservative talk show host Glenn Beck.
The US president did not provide details about what Ratcliffe discussed in Moscow but suggested the talks could have wider implications. “It’s premature to say” how much the meeting could contribute to repairing US-Russian relations.”
The Kremlin confirmed that Ratcliffe had held contacts with Russian intelligence services but said he had not met President Vladimir Putin.
“There were contacts with the intelligence services,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
“There were no meetings with the president of Russia. That’s all I can say on the subject. Naturally, President Putin is briefed immediately about everything.”
Peskov declined to disclose the subject of the talks when questioned by journalists. “I have nothing to add to what I’ve already said on the subject.”
Peskov described contact between the two countries’ intelligence agencies as positive, saying such communication often continues even during periods of severe tension.
The visit has prompted speculation in Washington, Kyiv and Moscow because of its unusual nature and timing.
A senior Ukrainian official said that Washington had informed Kyiv before Ratcliffe’s trip that a senior US delegation would travel to Moscow and asked Ukraine to suspend strikes until the delegation had departed.
Analysts said that Ratcliffe’s visit may have been intended to deliver a direct warning to Moscow over what Western governments describe as Russia’s unconventional warfare campaign against NATO countries.
However, Russia experts said it remained unclear whether Moscow would respond to such a warning.
Ratcliffe’s trip is his first known visit to Russia since Trump began his second presidential term.
Despite the wider deterioration in relations caused by the war in Ukraine, Washington and Moscow have maintained direct channels of communication on intelligence and security matters.
The last known visit by a CIA director to Moscow came in November 2021, when William Burns travelled to Russia to warn the Kremlin against launching an invasion of Ukraine.
Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine several months later in February 2022.
Relations between Washington and Moscow have remained deeply strained since then, while Russia has faced extensive international sanctions and diplomatic isolation.
Ratcliffe’s visit also comes amid heightened concerns over Russian activity involving NATO members, including reported drone and military aircraft incidents involving Poland, Romania and Latvia.
Trump met Putin at a summit in Alaska last year, but the meeting failed to produce a breakthrough in efforts to end the war. Subsequent US-led peace talks between Russia and Ukraine have also stalled.
John Foreman, a former British military attaché to Moscow, said the circumstances surrounding Ratcliffe’s visit suggested that the trip was significant. “The Americans don’t normally send such a high-ranking official to Moscow unannounced at short notice unless something is up.”
Erizia Rubyjeana
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