Sources: US asked Ukraine to hold off strikes on Moscow, St. Petersburg

The United States has asked Ukraine to refrain from carrying out strikes on Moscow and St. Petersburg for a period of time amid reports that CIA Director John Ratcliffe may be visiting Russia, according to Ukrainian government sources cited by Suspilne.

U.S. officials had previously been cited in media reports as saying that Ratcliffe had arrived in the Russian capital.

The reports were followed by information that Washington had asked Ukraine to refrain from strikes against Russia while a U.S. delegation was in the country. Suspilne's sources confirmed the request and said it applied not only to Moscow but also to St. Petersburg.

CBS was the first to report Ratcliffe's trip. Reports emerged after a U.S. Air Force Boeing C-17A Globemaster III transport aircraft was spotted at a Moscow airport, along with a motorcade carrying American diplomats.

The reported visit has not been independently confirmed in the information provided.

The last time a CIA director personally visited Russia was in November 2021, when William Burns travelled to Moscow to deliver a high-level warning to the Kremlin that the United States was aware of preparations for a large-scale invasion of Ukraine.

By Tamilla Hasanova