Kremlin denies US talks amid reports CIA Director Ratcliffe in Russia

The United States’ spy chief is reportedly visiting Moscow for meetings, according to US media outlets, even as the Kremlin says no talks with US envoys are planned this week.

CBS News, citing unnamed sources familiar with the situation, reported that CIA Director John Ratcliffe was in the Russian capital on Tuesday.

Axios separately confirmed the highest-level visit by a Trump administration official to Russia since January, quoting a US official.

The outlets did not say whom he was meeting or what the talks are expected to cover. The CIA declined to comment, according to the Reuters news agency.

The news comes after a US military transport aircraft travelled from Riga to Moscow, according to flight-tracking websites.

Russia, meanwhile, said no talks between Moscow and US envoys are planned this week, as Russia-Ukraine peace negotiations remain stalled.

“No, there are no such plans,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters during a press briefing on Tuesday.

Asked about reports that a US military plane landed in Moscow on Tuesday morning, Peskov said he had “no such information”.