CIA Director John Ratcliffe makes unannounced visit to Moscow to meet with Russian officials | CNN Politics

CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Moscow overnight Monday to meet with Russian officials, a US official familiar with his travel told CNN. The official declined to share the substance of the meetings or the topics discussed. The CIA declined to comment. The US asked Ukraine to halt drone and missile strikes in Moscow and other cities in the north of Russia ahead of Ratcliffe’s trip, a person familiar with the matter said. The request was for Monday through Wednesday of this week. The Ukrainians were told a senior US official would be traveling in Russia. The visit is Ratcliffe’s first known trip to Russia as CIA director under President Donald Trump. It comes as negotiations to end the war between Russia and Ukraine have stalled. Trump said on Wednesday that the visit was “semi-routine” and not intended to warn Russian President Vladimir Putin against an attack on NATO territory. “He’s there, you know, very sort of semi-routine,” Trump told Glenn Beck in a phone interview on his radio program. “I hate to disappoint people. We would like to see the war with Ukraine end.” Beck had asked Trump whether Ratcliffe was visiting Moscow to raise concerns about Russia