A US Air Force C-17 military transport aircraft landed at Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport on Tuesday, triggering speculation over who was aboard and why the aircraft had flown to Russia at a time when US-Russia contacts over the Ukraine war have slowed.According to Axios, CIA Director John Ratcliffe travelled to Moscow on Tuesday for meetings with Russian officials, citing two US officials. The report said Ratcliffe departed Washington on Sunday, travelled to Latvia aboard a US government aircraft and then flew from Riga to Moscow on a US Air Force C-17.CBS News also reported that Ratcliffe was in Moscow for meetings, citing sources familiar with the situation. If confirmed, it would mark Ratcliffe’s first known trip to Russia since becoming CIA director and the highest-level visit by a Trump administration official to the country since January.The reports came after a Boeing C-17A Globemaster III was spotted at Vnukovo alongside a US diplomatic motorcade. Reuters, citing Flightradar24 data, reported that the aircraft, with US registration 07-7181, flew directly from Riga and landed in Moscow at around 0700 GMT.The timing fuelled speculation because the Kremlin said it had no information about the aircraft. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also said there were no meetings with US administration officials planned in Moscow this week, according to Newsweek.However, Axios reported that Washington had informed Ukraine that a senior delegation was travelling to Moscow and asked Kyiv to suspend strikes until it had left.Ratcliffe’s reported visit comes as US-mediated efforts to end the Ukraine war remain largely stalled. CBS also noted that the CIA has been involved in recent US-Russia detainee exchanges, including the release of dual national Ksenia Karelina in April 2025 and the 2024 prisoner swap that secured the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former US Marine Paul Whelan.
