REUTERS/Leah MillisFormer director of National Intelligence (DNI) John Ratcliffe REUTERS/Leah Millis
Early Tuesday morning, a U.S. C-17A landed in Moscow after originating from Washington.
A Brussels-based photographer commented, "I thought it a bit odd this morning, when my flight took off from Riga, that I saw a business jet A319 (not 100 percent sure), with no official markings, or at least I did not see any, facing this C-17, and in the back there were, four or five cars with red diplomatic plates."
An X account that calls itself the "Open Source Intelligence Monitor" explained, "The C-40B is operated by the 89th Airlift Wing and is used to transport senior U.S. government officials, including Cabinet-level officials and senior military commanders, on official business," the account said. "Vehicles displaying diplomatic license plates were also observed near the aircraft in Riga. This suggests a senior U.S. government official may have been aboard the C-40B and could now be in Moscow, although the identities of any passengers and the purpose of the trip have not been confirmed."
CBS News reporter Jennifer Jacobs then uncovered that the top official for President Donald Trump was CIA Director John Ratcliffe.
The White House hasn't released who Ratcliffe is meeting with or what his purpose is in meeting with Russian officials.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin claimed it had "no information" about the visit.
"The last direct flight of a U.S. registered jet to Russia from Europe took place in January, carrying special envoys Steven Witkoff and Jared Kushner for peace talks with Vladimir Putin on Ukraine," claimed the Moscow Times.
Moscow also said that it isn't clear when the next meeting with Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff will take place. The two men have been part of the negotiation team for ending the Iran war.
Ratcliffe was a prominent congressional critic of the FBI’s Russia investigation during Trump's first term. In 2025, as CIA director, he ordered a review criticizing the process behind the 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment that concluded Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence operation to help Trump in 2016. The review questioned trade craft and procedure, but did not disprove the core conclusion, his own agency said.
Trump’s Russia connection is best described as a long-running mix of business history, campaign contacts and policy conduct; it was never investigated whether Trump was personally conspiring with Russia.
Critics allege Trump has downplayed Russian election interference. Trump denies any wrongdoing and says his approach seeks leverage and peace.
