Media: CIA Director John Ratcliffe arrives in Moscow
CIA Director John Ratcliffe landed in Moscow on August 25 aboard a US Air Force military transport plane to hold meetings, CBS and Axios journalists reported, marking the first such flight to Russia in nine years.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe arrived in Russia on Tuesday, August 25, according to CBS White House correspondent Jennifer Jacobs and Axios journalist Barak Ravid. Jacobs reported that Ratcliffe arrived aboard a C-17 aircraft to "hold meetings" in Moscow.
Rare military aircraft at Vnukovo
On Tuesday morning, a US Air Force Boeing C-17 Globemaster III military transport plane landed at Vnukovo Airport. Media outlets first reported the arrival citing flight-tracking service Flightradar24, and Telegram channels later published footage confirming the landing at Vnukovo. Videos also circulated on social media showing a motorcade of American diplomats driving through Moscow.
According to outlet Mash, this type of aircraft had not landed in Russia since 2017. The plane flew to Moscow from Riga, having previously arrived in Riga from Andrews Air Force Base in the US, which also serves as a base for the US president's aircraft.
Kremlin's response
Before Jacobs' report was published, Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov, responding to journalists' questions, said he had no information about the arrival of an American plane at Vnukovo. He also noted that no talks with US representatives were scheduled for this week.
