Trump rules out 2 theories behind John Ratcliffe’s secret Moscow trip but won’t say why
WATCH IN FULL: President Donald J. Trump's interview with @glennbeck pic.twitter.com/WalymA5R1i
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 26, 2026
WASHINGTON, DC: President Trump has dismissed two prominent theories about CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s secret Moscow trip while refusing to explain what mission he was carrying out.
The visit was the first known trip by a CIA director to Russia since William Burns traveled there in late 2021.
Trump discussed Ratcliffe’s four-hour Moscow visit during an interview with radio host Glenn Beck on Wednesday, August 26, calling the trip “very sort of semi-routine.”
Trump rejects theories but reveals no mission
Beck asked Trump whether Ratcliffe had gone to Moscow to discuss Iran sanctions or warn Russian President Vladimir Putin against testing NATO or striking England.
“Well, none of the above. He’s there, you know, on very sort of semi-routine — I hate to disappoint people,” Trump said.
Trump instead suggested Ratcliffe was discussing efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war, without disclosing what the CIA director actually addressed with Russian officials.
“We would like to see the war with Ukraine end. That’s a war that would have never started, Glenn,” Trump said.
He also defended Ratcliffe, saying, “John Ratcliffe is a fantastic guy. He’s the head of the CIA, and he is not in there for any of the things that you said.”
Trump then left open the possibility that the visit could produce an undisclosed development.
“Now something may come out, you know, out of it,” he said. “We’re working very hard to get that war ended, and frankly, they both want to see it ended at this point.”
John Ratcliffe trip revives memories of 2021
The unusual visit drew attention because William Burns’ late-2021 Moscow trip preceded Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Burns warned Putin and senior Russian officials not to attack Ukraine and outlined the consequences, according to the Washington Post report.
Ratcliffe’s trip came as Ukrainian long-range strikes inside Russia, including Moscow, targeted energy infrastructure and online retail facilities, while Russia increased drone and missile strikes on Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine.
Flight data shows a tightly held visit
US officials had not announced Ratcliffe’s trip, and the CIA, Pentagon, and Air Force declined to comment, as per the report.
People familiar with the visit spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to discuss it, according to the newspaper.
Public flight tracking showed a US government C-17A Globemaster III leaving Joint Base Andrews Sunday for Riga, Latvia, where it remained for about 24 hours before flying to Moscow Tuesday morning, the report stated.
A second Air Force C-40B also flew from Joint Base Andrews to Riga but did not appear in public tracking data on the next flight to Moscow, it added.
Ratcliffe has also been closely involved in the Iran conflict, including secretive CIA operations that Trump has praised.
The Russia-Ukraine peace efforts have primarily been handled by special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law, who traveled to Moscow in January to meet Putin.
