The aircraft was likely a Boeing C-17 Globemaster III, a heavy-lift transport aircraft operated by the US Air Force to carry personnel, military equipment and other cargo over long distances, according to flight-tracking data and several reports. Moscow: A US military aircraft landed at Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport on Tuesday, triggering speculation over the purpose of the rare flight at a time when tensions between Washington and Moscow remain high over the Ukraine conflict.
The Kremlin told Reuters it had no information about the flight. The reason for the unusual flight remains unclear. Neither Washington nor Moscow has issued an official statement about the aircraft’s arrival.
The aircraft’s flight history shows that it arrived in Riga on August 23 after departing from Camp Springs in Maryland, home to Andrews Air Force Base, a key US military facility used for the transport of senior government officials. Talks between the US and Russia aimed at ending the war have largely stalled, while US President Donald Trump has shifted his attention towards the Iran war. Reports last week also suggested that US and European officials had prepared a new proposal for Moscow. The last known direct flight by a US aircraft to Russia took place in January this year, when Witkoff and Kushner travelled to Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
