Showing posts with label J. Ratcliffe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label J. Ratcliffe. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 26, 2026
Tuesday, August 25, 2026
CIA director makes an unannounced trip to Moscow for talks, source says
NBC News
Aug 25, 2026
The CIA director John Ratcliffe made an unannounced flight to Moscow for talks, according to a source. This is Ratcliffe's first trip to Moscow since he began his tenure as the head of the Central Intelligence Agency.
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CIA Director Suddenly In Moscow As NATO Prepares For Russian Attack
Rebel HQ
Aug 25, 2026
Watch: Ukraine Pounds Russia, Prompting Angry Putin To Threaten U.K.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe made a rare, unannounced trip to Moscow for meetings with Russian officials, raising questions about what the Trump administration is discussing behind closed doors. The mysterious visit comes as U.S.-brokered efforts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine remain stalled and tensions between Washington and Moscow continue to run high. David Shuster breaks it down on Rebel HQ.
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Why the CIA chief might have made a secret Moscow visit | DW News
DW News
Aug 25, 2026
Reports in US media suggest that America's top spy, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, made a rare, unannounced trip to Moscow on Tuesday. Neither the CIA nor the Kremlin has commented on the reports. If confirmed, it would be Ratcliffe's first known visit to Russia since becoming CIA Director, and the highest-level intelligence trip between the two countries since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. So what could be behind this mysterious mission? DW speaks to Russia analyst Angela Stent to explore the possible reasons for the trip.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe on secret trip in Russia
By Jennifer Jacobs, Olivia Gazis, James LaPorta
Updated on: August 25, 2026 / 11:08 AM EDT / CBS News
CIA Director John Ratcliffe is in Moscow, Russia, for meetings, sources familiar with the situation told CBS News on Tuesday.
News of his trip comes after a U.S. Air Force Boeing C-17A Globemaster III transport plane was spotted at a Moscow airport, along with a U.S. diplomatic motorcade. Neither the U.S. nor Russian governments has commented on the identity of the U.S. official in Russia or the purpose of the visit.
The CIA did not immediately comment.
It appears to be Ratcliffe's first known trip to Russia as CIA director, though he has maintained contact with Russian intelligence counterparts.
The CIA has also played a role in recent U.S.-Russia detainee exchanges, including the April 2025 release of a U.S.-Russian dual national Ksenia Karelina, whose case Ratcliffe personally negotiated. The agency was also involved in the 2024 prisoner exchange that secured the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and Marine veteran Paul Whelan.
Former CIA Director William Burns traveled to Moscow in November 2021, when he met with senior Russian officials and spoke directly with President Vladimir Putin to warn him against invading Ukraine.
Ratcliffe's visit comes as U.S.-mediated peace talks with Ukraine remain mostly stalled, with the sides still far apart on core issues.
Friday, May 15, 2026
CIA Chief Spotted In Cuba As Specter Of Regime Change Looms Large
May 15, 20269:23 AM ET
As the specter of the U.S.-led regime change grows, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) released photos of agency chief John Ratcliffe meeting with Cuban officials in Havana on Thursday.
Ratcliffe and several U.S. officials—some of whose faces were blurred by the CIA in images posted to X—held talks Thursday with Cuba’s Interior Minister, the head of Cuban intelligence and Raúl Castro’s grandson, Raulito Rodríguez Castro. A CIA official told The Associated Press that the director was there “to personally deliver President Donald Trump’s message that the United States is prepared to seriously engage on economic and security issues, but only if Cuba makes fundamental changes.”
As the specter of the U.S.-led regime change grows, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) released photos of agency chief John Ratcliffe meeting with Cuban officials in Havana on Thursday.
Ratcliffe and several U.S. officials—some of whose faces were blurred by the CIA in images posted to X—held talks Thursday with Cuba’s Interior Minister, the head of Cuban intelligence and Raúl Castro’s grandson, Raulito Rodríguez Castro. A CIA official told The Associated Press that the director was there “to personally deliver President Donald Trump’s message that the United States is prepared to seriously engage on economic and security issues, but only if Cuba makes fundamental changes.”
The threat of regime change in Cuba has grown in recent weeks. President Donald Trump has repeatedly mused about taking over Cuba and suggested May 8 that a U.S. aircraft might leave the Iran War theater and position itself off the country’s coast. The administration has also intensified its economic war, blocking oil shipments since January. Amid energy blackouts, a collapsing economy and protests in the capital, Cuba’s oil and gas supplies have now run dry, according to Cuban Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy.
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