Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) John Ratcliffe was in Moscow on Tuesday for talks with top Russian officials, according to U.S. media reports.
The unannounced visit, which has not been confirmed by either the CIA or the Kremlin, is the first such trip since former CIA Director William Burns traveled to Moscow in 2021.
A Boeing C-17 Globemaster III military transport aircraft landed at Moscow’s Vnukovo International Airport on Tuesday after reportedly taking off from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.
Ratcliffe, who has also been central to high-profile prisoner exchanges between the U.S. and Russia, is believed to have discussed the war in Ukraine as well as Iran with the Russian side.
On Monday, the U.S. Treasury Department warned countries to cut their business and financial ties with Iran or face secondary sanctions as part of “Operation Economic Outcast”.
Responding on Tuesday, China reiterated its opposition to “illicit unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law or the authorization of the UN Security Council”.
The Foreign Ministry said economic warfare and maximum pressure fuel tensions, which could disrupt the global economic and financial order and harm the rights and interests of nations.
Spokesperson Lin Jian called for a de-escalation of the situation and a return to dialogue, declaring that China will do everything necessary to firmly safeguard its rights and interests.