Crosswire — August 25, 2026
DAILY BRIEFING — August 25, 2026
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GEOPOLITICS
CIA Director in Moscow — Highest-Level US Visit of Trump's Second Term
CIA Director John Ratcliffe reportedly flew to Moscow aboard a US Air Force C-17, landing at Vnukovo airport. The aircraft departed toward Latvia afterward. Neither Washington nor Moscow has officially confirmed the visit's purpose, and the Kremlin says no US administration meetings were scheduled this week. Reports suggest Ratcliffe may meet with Putin or SVR chief Sergei Naryshkin, and that Washington asked Ukraine to pause strikes while the delegation was in Moscow.
Why…
The skinny
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