The Trump administration reportedly asked Ukraine to pause long-range missile and drone strikes on key Russian cities while American officials held meetings in Moscow, according to a Financial Times correspondent and flight tracking data cited by Breitbart News.
Christopher Miller, the Financial Times’ chief Ukraine correspondent, posted on X that US officials had “requested that Kyiv not strike Moscow, St. Petersburg, and northern regions of Russia with its long range missiles and drones on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday when the U.S. would send a plane carrying a senior-level official to the Russian capital,” citing “people familiar with the request.”
“Ukraine agreed, they said,” Miller added. “Today we see that a U.S. Air Force C-17 plane has landed in Moscow.”
The report comes as open-source flight data showed a US Air Force C-17 Globemaster III routing from Latvia, a NATO member, to an airfield near Moscow on Tuesday morning. The aircraft had departed Andrews Air Force Base near Washington, D.C., on Sunday, according to France’s Le Figaro, which cited transponder data aggregated through hobbyist receivers and services like Flight Radar.
Military aircraft are not required to broadcast their transponders, but doing so over Russian airspace is considered best practice for safety and air traffic control. The choice to keep the transponder active suggested the US wanted the flight to be visible and identifiable, Breitbart noted.
CBS News senior White House reporter Jennifer Jacobs reported on X that CIA Director John Ratcliffe had “traveled to Russia aboard a C-17 for meetings in Moscow today.” Breitbart’s Oliver JJ Lane also flagged the flight’s path from Riga, Latvia, to the Russian capital area.
The reported request, if confirmed, would mark a notable moment in US-Ukraine relations during the Trump administration, which has pushed for a negotiated end to the war but has also faced criticism from Kyiv and European allies over its approach to Moscow. Ukrainian officials have repeatedly used long-range strikes on Russian territory to target military infrastructure, including air bases and logistics hubs used in the invasion.
Flight Visibility and Timing
The C-17’s transponder remained on throughout the journey, a choice that aviation experts say is unusual for sensitive military missions but not unprecedented. Keeping the signal active reduces collision risks and eases coordination with civilian air traffic controllers, but it also exposes the aircraft’s route to public tracking.
The timing of the reported request β covering Monday through Wednesday β aligns with the reported arrival of the US delegation. Miller’s post, shared on Tuesday, noted that Ukraine had agreed to the pause even as its forces continued to face Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities.
Neither the White House nor the CIA immediately commented publicly on the report. The Ukrainian government has not officially confirmed or denied the request.
If accurate, the arrangement would mirror earlier instances during the war where Ukraine agreed to temporary moratoriums on strikes during sensitive diplomatic moments, though such deals have often been informal and short-lived.
Context of US-Ukraine Tensions
The report surfaces amid ongoing friction between Washington and Kyiv over the pace and scope of military support, as well as the Trump administration’s stated desire to broker a ceasefire. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has insisted that any peace deal must include security guarantees and that Ukraine retains the right to defend itself, including striking targets inside Russia.
US officials have previously urged Ukraine to avoid escalating attacks on Russian soil, fearing a wider conflict. But the specific request to pause strikes during the Moscow visit suggests a practical, operational coordination aimed at ensuring the safety of the US delegation.
Ukraine’s reported compliance β if true β would indicate a continued willingness to accommodate US diplomatic efforts, even as Kyiv publicly maintains a hard line on striking Russian military assets. The incident also highlights the delicate balancing act the Trump administration faces in maintaining support for Ukraine while pursuing direct engagement with Moscow.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the C-17’s position and the identity of the senior US official aboard had not been officially confirmed by US authorities. But the convergence of Miller’s reporting, Jacobs’ post, and the transponder data has fueled speculation that high-level talks were underway in the Russian capital.
Source: www.breitbart.com β https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2026/08/25/report-trump-admin-requests-ukraine-refrain-from-striking-russia-during-meetings/