A US Air Force plane has been spotted in Moscow – it comes after President Donald Trump announced he and Vladimir Putin had agreed to visit one another’s countries as they move towards a deal to end the brutal war in Ukraine
A US Air Force plane typically use for sensitive missions has been mysteriously spotted in Moscow just days after Vladimir Putin invited Donald Trump to Russia.
The US Air Force C-37B was seen flying to Russia’s capital on radar maps. The jet took off from Rotterdam, in the Netherlands, before it flew over Germany, the Baltic Sea, and Latvia before moving on to Moscow.
It landed at Vnukovo International Airport in the Russian Capital at about 7:40pm local time, yesterday. The plane then took off after about an hour and left Russian airspace through Latvia before flying through Lithuania and ultimately landing outside Warsaw, Poland, a NATO member state.
The US has an army garrison in Poznan, close to Warsaw. The C-37B is not part of the standard military transport and is typically used for high-profile missions.
Its arrival in Moscow has sparked several theories that suggest a high-level sensitive mission. One theory suggests the plane was taking a diplomate to open communications between Washington and Moscow.
It comes just days after Trump announced he had a phone call with Putin where the pair discussed entering into negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. Trump also said he and his Russian counterpart had discussed visiting one another’s countries in the future. The US has since turned on its consistent policy since the war began and appeared to suggest Ukraine should surrender its occupied territories and forget about becoming a NATO member.
It is unclear what, if any, concessions Putin was expected to make in order to secure a long-lasting peace with Ukraine. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said he would not agree to any deal that did not involve his country.
Western nations and defence analysts have blasted Trump’s apparent willingness to cut a deal that effectively surrenders eastern Ukraine to Russia. Should Russia take the occupied territories as part of a deal it would be the first time a war of conquest resulted in border changes since World War II.
But those who support Trump’s deal argue the war is impossible to sustain and that the US should focus its efforts on the Asia-Pacific. Trump has consistently viewed China as being a major focus for the US going forward.
