The Kremlin confirmed on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, that CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with Russian intelligence officials during his visit to Moscow on Tuesday, August 25, but did not have a meeting with President Vladimir Putin.

The visit was revealed after flight-tracking data showed a U.S. Air Force C-17A Globemaster III traveling from Joint Base Andrews to Moscow. Ratcliffe's discussions coincided with a phone call between Foreign Intelligence Service chief Sergei Naryshkin and Ratcliffe, during which Russian state media reported that both intelligence chiefs agreed to maintain regular contact and work toward reducing tensions between Washington and Moscow.

The Kremlin declined to provide details about the talks, including whether they were related to stalled Ukraine peace negotiations following the U.S.-Iran conflict. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov noted, "These contacts often continue even during the most difficult periods in bilateral relations. It is still too early to say to what extent this will, overall, help to steer our bilateral relations out of the profound crisis in which they currently find themselves."

Reports on Tuesday indicated that U.S. officials requested Ukraine to temporarily suspend long-range strikes against Russia until Ratcliffe's delegation had left Moscow. The visit also came shortly after the announcement of Operation Economic Outcast, an initiative by the Trump administration aimed at using secondary sanctions to isolate Iran from the global economy.

Sources