Diplomatic mission or secret talks? US Air Force military cargo aircraft lands in Moscow

MOSCOW: Reports claimed that a giant US Air Force cargo aircraft has landed unexpectedly at an airport in Moscow. The Boeing C-17 Globemaster, registered in the United States, landed at Moscow’s Vnukovo International Airport on Tuesday.

The aircraft reportedly flew to Moscow from Riga, the capital of Latvia. International media reports said it arrived in Moscow at around 12.30 pm IST. Flight-tracking website Flightradar24 also showed the aircraft’s movement. However, the Kremlin said it had no specific information about the aircraft. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also told reporters that no meetings with representatives of the US administration were scheduled in Russia this week.

According to Flightradar24 data, the aircraft arrived in Riga from Camp Springs Air Base near Washington, DC, on August 23. It had earlier departed from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland shortly before 5 pm on Sunday. The military base is used by the US President and senior officials for official travel.

The last reported instance of a US-registered aircraft flying directly from Europe to Russia was in January. At the time, US special envoys Steven Witkoff and Jared Kushner travelled to Russia for peace talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the Ukraine conflict.

The C-17 Globemaster is a large military transport aircraft designed to carry troops and heavy military equipment over long distances. Its unexpected arrival in Moscow has led to speculation about the purpose of the visit.

Some reports have suggested that the aircraft could be linked to a diplomatic mission or a prisoner exchange. The speculation has also been fuelled by Russia’s release of former US Marine Robert Gilman earlier this month and prisoner exchanges earlier this year.

Although Russia-Ukraine peace talks remain at an impasse, the possibility of behind-the-scenes diplomatic contacts between the two sides cannot be ruled out. However, there has been no official confirmation so far about the reason for the US military aircraft’s arrival in Moscow.