WASHINGTON: The FBI denied a US media report Wednesday that its director was visiting Russia, insisting that Kash Patel was at an event at a university in Virginia.
US news broadcaster MS Now reported that Patel had landed in Russia for a scheduled meeting just weeks before crucial US midterm elections, citing two people familiar with the matter.
But the FBI said in a post on X that the report was wrong: "Here's where Kash Patel actually is...Liberty U, doing a law enforcement appreciation event."
Video posted on YouTube on Wednesday from an ABC affiliate showed Patel speaking on a panel at the Liberty University School of Law in Lynchburg, Virginia.
The back-and-forth comes days after US President Trump said Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to reach a deal on the war with Ukraine, accusing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of resisting a compromise.
Trump has repeatedly lashed out at Zelensky, a major pro-Western leader in Europe, even saying he should be replaced as president.
Trump has also often declined to criticise Putin, often putting himself out of step with members of his own Republican Party even as Putin ramps up attacks against Ukraine.
Last week, Trump angered Ukraine's European allies with news of a deal to buy heavily sanctioned Russia diesel in order to lower domestic US prices -- a key issue ahead of the Nov 3 midterms.
On Tuesday, a dozen Republican and Democratic senators urged Trump to scrap that deal, calling it a betrayal of Ukraine that would bankroll Moscow's war effort.
Speculation that Patel might travel to Moscow has swirled ever since Politico reported in July that the FBI director planned a trip to Russia, likely in mid-October, citing people familiar with the matter.
Last week, The Atlantic reported there was a quiet campaign at the FBI, as well as opposition from two senior House Democrats, to cancel the trip.
In August, CIA Director John Ratcliffe made a highly unusual visit to Moscow, apparently to warn Russia against any attack on Nato, US media reported.