US asked Ukraine not to strike Russia while CIA director was there. His plane has already departed Moscow
As reported by Axios, the US asked Ukraine to temporarily refrain from striking Russian territory while CIA Director John Ratcliffe was in Moscow.
John Ratcliffe. Photo: AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File
According to a source familiar with the situation, prior to Ratcliffe's visit, the American side informed Ukraine about the arrival of a high-ranking delegation in Moscow and asked to suspend strikes until its departure.
Ratcliffe's visit was the first trip by a CIA director to Russia since his appointment, and the first visit of such a high-level representative of the Donald Trump administration to Russia since January. His arrival was previously reported by CBS. In Moscow, an American military transport aircraft Boeing C-17A and a motorcade of American diplomats were sighted.
The last time a CIA director personally visited Russia was in November 2021. At that time, William Burns came to Moscow to warn the Russian leadership that the US was aware of the preparations for a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Ratcliffe's current visit comes amidst attempts by the Trump administration to explore the possibility of resuming peace talks between Ukraine and Russia. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio previously stated an intention to intensify such efforts in the coming weeks.
At the same time, reports about a possible visit of Trump's special envoys Steve Whitkoff and Jared Kushner to Kyiv during Ukraine's Independence Day celebrations were not confirmed.
Meanwhile, it became known that the US Air Force military transport aircraft Boeing C-17 Globemaster III, on which John Ratcliffe arrived in Russia, has already departed from Moscow. This is evidenced by Flightradar24 data.