Trump Visits Moscow Amid Ukraine Conflict, Claims Negotiations for Ending War Are Progress
-
"He's there on very, sort of semi-routine (business). I hate to disappoint people," Trump said.
Compare 1 other version
New York Post“Well, none of the above. He’s there, you know, on very sort of semi-routine — I hate to disappoint people,” Trump replied.
-
The Kremlin said Wednesday that CIA Director John Ratcliffe joined Russian intelligence officials for talks Tuesday during his visit to Moscow but did not meet with President Vladimir Putin.
Compare 7 other versions
BreitbartCentral Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe did not meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin during his surprise visit to Moscow on Tuesday, a Kremlin spokesman said.
Associated PressThe Kremlin said Wednesday that CIA Director John Ratcliffe held talks in Moscow with his intelligence counterparts, a rare and secretive visit at a time when relations with Washington remain strained over Russia’s war in Ukraine.
New York PostWASHINGTON — President Trump insisted Wednesday that CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s surprise trip to Moscow wasn’t to warn President Vladimir Putin not to “test NATO resolve” or “strike England” after the Cabinet official’s unannounced four-hour visit on Tuesday launched rampant speculation.
The HillTrump calls CIA director’s trip to Russia ‘semi-routine’ President Trump referred to CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s trip to Russia this week as “semi-routine” after the Kremlin confirmed Ratcliffe was in the country to meet intelligence officials.  “I hate to disappoint people,” Trump told conservative talks show host Glenn Beck on Wednesday.  “John Ratcliffe is a fantastic guy. He’s the head of the CIA,…
USA TodayTrump said "something may come out" of Ratcliffe's trip, his first known visit to Moscow.
BBC NewsJohn Ratcliffe reportedly arrived in the Russian capital earlier on Tuesday. Neither Washington or Moscow have confirmed the nature of the visit or who he was due to meet.
ABC NewsThe CIA, Department of Defense and Air Force declined to comment. CIA Director John Ratcliffe is in Moscow, Russia, for meetings, according to multiple officials familiar with the meetings.
-
Mr. Trump, speaking to radio host Glenn Beck, said the visit was not related to any sudden occurrence or intended to head off an attack.
Compare 1 other version
USA Today"None of the above," Trump said Aug. 26 when Beck raised the NATO concerns and other possible reasons for the visit. "He's there on very, sort of semi-routine (business). I hate to disappoint people."
-
“We would like to see the war with Ukraine end,” Mr. Trump said. “Something might come out of [the visit]. We’re working very hard to get that war ended, and frankly, they both want to see it ended at this point.”
Compare 3 other versions
Associated PressIn his radio appearance Wednesday, Trump repeated that he wants to see the Russia-Ukraine war end.
New York Post“We would like to see the war with Ukraine end. That’s a war would have never started, Glenn,” Trump went on.
USA Today"He is not there for any of the things that you said," Trump added. Instead, Trump talked about trying to end the Ukraine war, a goal he has pursued without success since returning to office last year.
-
Efforts to negotiate a peace deal have largely stalled, with U.S. attention turning to its war with Iran and both Moscow and Kyiv stepping up their long-range attacks on each other. Putin has rejected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s push for an immediate ceasefire, arguing that Russia wants a comprehensive settlement, not a temporary truce.
Compare 1 other version
USA TodayPeace talks collapsed earlier this year as Ukraine rejected Russian demands to relinquish territory and the Trump administration turned its focus to the Iran war. But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksyy recently drafted a one-page proposal to present to Moscow that includes a ceasefire and a U.S. plan for a free economic zone in the country's eastern Donbas area, telling reporters he sees a window to end the war through renewed U.S.-led negotiations.
-
Media reports revealed the highly unusual visit Tuesday after publicly available flight-tracking data showed a U.S. Air Force C-17A Globemaster III traveling from Joint Base Andrews to Moscow.
Compare 3 other versions
ABC NewsA Boeing C-17A Globemaster III was seen at the Moscow airport. The CIA, Department of Defense and the Air Force declined to comment.
BBC NewsFootage posted on social media showed the C-17 transport plane approaching Moscow's Vnukovo international airport.
BreitbartAs reported, the trip has excited considerable comment given it was unannounced, yet the track of the C-17 Globemaster was fully visible to the public given it flew with its transponders turned on. The aircraft had transited from Andrews AFB near Washington over the weekend and was joined in Riga, Latvia — the location of a major NATO command — by a U.S. military executive transport Boeing.
-
Tuesday reports indicated that U.S. officials had asked Ukraine to temporarily suspend its long-range strikes against Russia until the delegation had left Moscow.
Compare 1 other version
Associated PressA senior Ukrainian official told The Associated Press that Washington informed Kyiv a delegation would be traveling to the Russian capital and asked it to suspend strikes until it left. The official said the request did not apply to all Russian territory, but specifically to Moscow, St. Petersburg and some northern regions. Strikes on other parts of Russia continued, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to talk publicly.
-
The US has had strained relations with Russia since it launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Since then, Russia has been isolated on the world stage and faced international economic sanctions.
Compare 1 other version
Associated PressRussia-U.S. relations sank to Cold War lows after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but appeared to warm after Trump returned to office. He had promised to end the war swiftly, holding multiple phone calls with Putin and even hosting him in Alaska a year ago.
-
Russia remains a key trading partner with Iran, and Washington may want to avoid a larger conflict with Moscow over the issue as it attempts to broker peace in Ukraine.
Compare 1 other version
Associated PressRussia has proposed to mediate in the U.S. and Israel’s war with Iran, Moscow’s important ally in the Middle East.
6 details only one outlet reported
Independent claims that didn't surface elsewhere in our corpus. Treat as supplementary — not corroborated across outlets.
-
01 USA Today The Wall Street Journal reported that U.S. intelligence suggests that Russia could be making plans to test the resolve of NATO nations. As a member of NATO, the U.S. is obligated to help defend member countries.
-
02 New York Post The president insinuated that Ratcliffe was discussing long-stalled efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
-
03 Associated Press Russian state news agencies reported that a U.S. military plane landed in Moscow’s Vnukovo airport on Tuesday and departed later that day.
-
04 Washington Times Mr. Trump explained the sudden trip to Moscow in an attempt to put to rest online speculation that Russian President Vladimir Putin might be preparing to launch a new offensive in Europe.
-
05 BBC News Published The head of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has travelled to Moscow for unannounced talks, the BBC's US news partner CBS has reported.
-
06 Breitbart Peskov added that President Putin had been briefed on the talks. As for how they would impact American-Russian relations, Peskov went on: “It’s too early to say how much this will impact the overall process of bringing our bilateral relations out of the deep crisis they are in”.
Fact Corroboration
Which sources independently confirm the same facts. Hover a claim to see its sources, or a source to see what it corroborates.
Coverage by Perspective
Source Similarity
Connections show how similarly each outlet covered this story. Thicker lines = more similar framing.
Sources (8)
- abc
- nypost
- ap
- breitbart
- thehill
- usatoday
- bbc
- washtimes