FBI Director Kash Patel plans to visit Russia later this year, according to Politico.
The outlet reported that Patel is expected to travel to Moscow and St. Petersburg on Oct. 14-15, marking what would be the first known visit by a sitting FBI director to Russia since former Director Robert Mueller traveled there in 2013.
Patel's likely host would be Russia's Federal Security Service, the successor to the Soviet-era KGB.
It remains unclear whether Patel will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin or other senior Kremlin officials, and the trip is still considered tentative, Politico reported.
The reported visit comes as the Trump administration continues pursuing diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the war in Ukraine while balancing pressure on Moscow from Congress, where lawmakers in both parties have pushed for tougher sanctions against Russia.
President Donald Trump has made improving communication with Moscow part of his broader foreign policy strategy, arguing that maintaining direct dialogue with adversaries can reduce the risk of conflict while advancing American interests.
Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner have made multiple trips to Russia during negotiations over Ukraine, and Trump himself met Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, last year.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined Tuesday to confirm or deny Patel's planned visit.
"These kinds of visits usually happen behind closed doors," Peskov told reporters, according to The Moscow Times.
Patel has long been associated with challenging the origins of the FBI's investigation into alleged, and since debunked, ties between Trump's 2016 campaign and Russia, repeatedly referring to the probe as the "Russiagate hoax."
As a House Intelligence Committee staffer under then-Chair Devin Nunes, Patel helped lead Republican efforts to scrutinize the FBI's handling of the investigation.
Supporters have praised Patel for pushing reforms at the FBI and seeking greater accountability within federal law enforcement, while critics have questioned some of his travel and management decisions.
Earlier this month, top Democrats on the House and Senate Judiciary committees opened an inquiry into Patel's use of government resources, allegations the director has not publicly addressed.
Politico also noted that senior administration officials have previously traveled to Russia despite strained relations.
Then-CIA Director Mike Pompeo wrote in 2018 that maintaining communication with Russian counterparts served U.S. national security interests, particularly in counterterrorism, while emphasizing that American officials "vigorously defend America" during such engagements.
If the trip proceeds as planned, Patel's visit would represent another high-level contact between Washington and Moscow at a time when the administration is pursuing negotiations over Ukraine while Congress continues debating additional sanctions targeting Russia and its allies.