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WASHINGTON: U.S. CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Moscow on Tuesday for meetings with Russian officials, U.S. media outlets reported, citing unnamed \u200bsources.<\/strong><\/p>\n The trip would be the first known visit to the Russian capital by \u200ca U.S. spy chief since Ratcliffe\u2019s predecessor, William Burns, held talks with Vladimir Putin in November 2021. About three months after that meeting, the Russian president launched Moscow\u2019s invasion of Ukraine.<\/p>\n CBS News and Axios \u200breported the visit by Ratcliffe, U.S. President Donald Trump\u2019s CIA chief, who served \u200bas director of national intelligence in Trump\u2019s first term. The outlets did \u2060not say whom he was meeting or what the talks are expected to cover.<\/p>\n The \u200bCIA declined to comment. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov neither confirmed nor denied the report, telling \u200bReuters President Vladimir Putin did not plan to have a meeting with Ratcliffe.<\/p>\n The U.S. last week asked Ukraine not to launch air strikes around Moscow, St. Petersburg, and some northern territories of Russia on \u200bMonday, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week because a plane carrying a senior U.S. \u200bofficial would be flying to the Russian capital, said a source familiar with the matter.<\/p>\n The source declined \u200cto \u2060provide further information. The Financial Times first reported the U.S. message to Ukraine.<\/p>\n On Monday, the U.S. warned countries to cut business ties with Iran or face secondary sanctions, a move aimed at stepping up economic pressure on Tehran to settle the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran \u200blaunched in February.<\/p>\n The U.S. \u200bhas no ambassador \u2060to Russia, which maintains a close strategic partnership with Iran involving extensive military, economic and diplomatic ties.<\/p>\n Tehran supplied Moscow with drones for its \u200bwar against Ukraine. In March, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy accused Russia of \u200bsupplying its \u2060version of those drones to Iran.<\/p>\n A Ukrainian intelligence assessment reported by Reuters in April said that Russia has aided Iran with satellite imagery for use in targeting U.S. facilities in the \u2060Middle East.<\/p>\n After all, she\u2019s going from complete obscurity.<\/p>\n Moscow \u200bdenies providing such assistance and has said it is \u200bready to help resolve the U.S.-Iran conflict.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n