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CIA Director reportedly visits Moscow amid stalled Ukraine peace talks

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • CIA Director William Burns reportedly visited Moscow on August 25 for talks, marking his first known trip to Russia since taking office.
  • The visit occurred amid stalled peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, with Burns's predecessor having warned Russia against invasion in 2021.
  • The Kremlin stated it had no information about the U.S. military aircraft seen at the airport, and neither the CIA nor the State Department immediately commented.

CIA Director William Burns made a reported visit to Moscow on August 25, his first known trip to the Russian capital since assuming leadership of the U.S. intelligence agency. The visit comes at a critical juncture, with peace talks between Ukraine and Russia currently stalled.

Burns's presence in Moscow was revealed after a U.S. Air Force Boeing C-17A Globemaster III transport aircraft was sighted at Vnukovo Airport. Flight tracking data indicated the plane flew from Andrews Air Force Base near Washington D.C. to Riga, Latvia, before arriving in Moscow. A U.S. diplomatic convoy was also observed at the airport.

I have no information about this U.S. military aircraft.

— Dmitry PeskovResponding to questions about the presence of a U.S. military plane in Moscow.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated he had no information regarding the U.S. military aircraft and noted no meetings were scheduled with U.S. government officials at the Kremlin this week. Both the CIA and the State Department declined to comment immediately.

While Burns has maintained contact with his Russian intelligence counterparts, the specific individuals he met with and the agenda for these discussions remain unclear. His visit follows a similar trip by former CIA Director Michael Burns in November 2021, who met with senior Russian officials and President Vladimir Putin to warn against an invasion of Ukraine. This current visit is the first known trip by a high-ranking U.S. official to Moscow since January, when U.S. special envoy and former White House advisor Jared Kushner visited to discuss peace proposals with Putin.

There are no planned meetings with U.S. government officials at the Kremlin this week.

— Dmitry PeskovAddressing inquiries about potential high-level meetings during the reported visit.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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