Trump ally Kash Patel to visit Russia in October, FSB expected to host

Kash Patel, the FBI director and one of President Donald Trump's closest allies, is planning to visit Russia in October, drawing attention amid sharp tensions between Washington and Moscow over the war in Ukraine.

Politico reported Monday, citing a US official, that Patel is scheduled to travel to Russia on Oct. 14-15.

According to the report, Patel plans to visit Moscow before traveling to St. Petersburg. Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), the successor to the Soviet-era KGB, is expected to host the visit.

However, it has not been confirmed whether Patel will meet with President Vladimir Putin or other senior Russian officials, and the agenda has not been made public.

The trip is drawing scrutiny because it comes as the United States continues to support Ukraine and calls in Congress for additional sanctions against Russia are growing. An FBI director visiting Russia — widely regarded as a leading US adversary — is considered highly unusual.

The last FBI director to visit Russia was Robert Mueller in 2013.

Patel is a longtime Trump loyalist who has been at the center of controversy over the "Russia scandal" since Trump's first administration. He was a vocal defender of Trump, arguing that the FBI's investigation into alleged ties between the Trump campaign and Russia during the 2016 presidential election was politically motivated.

Russia was accused at the time of hacking the emails of Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential candidate, and making contact with Trump associates to help Trump win the election.

Patel has also made controversial statements alleging fraud in the 2020 presidential election, which Trump lost. His upcoming Russia visit has drawn further attention, as it remains unclear whether the trip is aimed at discussing intelligence cooperation between the two countries or addressing separate diplomatic and security matters.