US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Russia aboard a US military C-17 transport plane for meetings in Moscow on Tuesday, according to a report from CBS News reporter Jennifer Jacobs.
According to Russian state media outlet TASS, a Kremlin spokesperson stated that he did not know about the plane and that no meetings with US officials were planned.
A source familiar with the details of Ratcliffe's trip told The Jerusalem Post that Trump administration officials asked Ukraine several days ago to pause any strikes against Moscow and other cities from Monday through Wednesday.
The large Boeing C-17 Globemaster, with the US-registered tail number 07-7181, flew direct from Riga, Latvia, and landed in Moscow around 9:00 a.m. local time on Tuesday, according to data from the flight tracking service Flightradar24.
Unverified footage posted on X/Twitter appears to show the aircraft on approach.
According to CBS, a US diplomatic motorcade was also spotted at the Moscow airport.
Flightradar24 data later showed the plane departing Moscow and heading back toward Riga later on Tuesday.
C-17's arrival marks first direct flight by US aircraft to Russia since January
The last direct flight of a US-registered jet to Russia from Europe took place in January this year, carrying special envoys Steven Witkoff and Jared Kushner for peace talks with Vladimir Putin on Ukraine.
The Kremlin said last week it had no information yet about another visit to Moscow by Kushner and Witkoff, as talks between the US and Russia on Ukraine have largely stalled.
Aaron Glick contributed to this report.