Kremlin reveals why CIA Chief Ratcliffe visited Moscow

CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s unannounced trip to Moscow on Tuesday was for contact between US and Russian security services, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said, RT News reports.

A US Air Force aircraft flew Ratcliffe from Joint Base Andrews to Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport, with the visit lasting roughly eight hours. Peskov said Putin was kept informed but that talks with the Russian leader were not planned, adding it was “too early to say” whether the discussions would ease bilateral tensions.

Possible topics include detainee negotiations and the Ukraine peace process.