(WASHINGTON) – CIA Director John Ratcliffe made an unannounced visit to Moscow on Tuesday to deliver a warning to Russia not to attack NATO countries, according to multiple reports citing sources briefed on the trip. The visit, the first by a CIA chief since 2021, lasted eight and a half hours aboard a US C-17 military transport plane.
The Wall Street Journal, CBS, and other outlets reported that US officials are concerned the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, squeezed in Ukraine and under pressure at home, could launch an assault ranging from a cyber attack to a small scale land incursion, likely on a Baltic nation. The Journal added that a shortfall in critical Western munitions driven by expenditures in the Iran war could also factor into Putin’s thinking.
The Associated Press reported that the US military is experiencing a “beyond critical shortage” of advanced missile interceptors in Europe, largely driven by President Trump’s war with Iran. A US defence official in Europe and a NATO official told the AP this raises concerns about vulnerabilities in NATO countries to a potential Russian attack. In the event of a Russian ballistic missile assault on a military headquarters or power plant, NATO could be “forced to take punch after punch in the mouth,” one official said.
US Army Colonel Martin O’Donnell, a NATO spokesperson, pushed back on these claims, stating it is “simply not the case that the number of Patriot missiles in Europe is beyond critical.” Chief Pentagon spokesperson Shawn Parnell called the claims “false,” saying, “We have everything required to strike at the time and place of the president’s choosing across multiple combatant commands.”
President Trump, speaking in the Oval Office, dismissed concerns about a Russian attack on NATO. “I’ve had good talks with him. He is not going to be attacking NATO territory,” Trump said. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov added that reports about alleged Russian aggression against NATO countries “have nothing to do with reality.”
However, Russian Foreign Affairs spokesperson Maria Zakharova threatened the United Kingdom on Wednesday. “We have repeatedly warned that any military facilities and equipment belonging to Britain, both in Ukraine and beyond, could become targets in response to Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory using British weapons,” she said. This statement suggests potential Russian strikes on British territory, which would constitute an attack on a NATO country.
Russian drones continued to violate the airspace of Moldova, a non-NATO European nation. Moldovan President Maia Sandu said, “Hours before Moldova marks 35 years of independence our airspace was repeatedly violated by Russian drones. I strongly condemn this intimidation.” The Moldovan Ministry of Defence reported five separate drones entered and exited Moldovan airspace.
Estonia and Latvia reiterated on 27th August that their overall assessment of Russia’s threat remains unchanged despite media reports about the US intelligence chief warning Moscow. Latvian Prime Minister Colbergs said, “I want to clearly tell the people of Latvia there is currently no reason for concern. Latvia’s level of military threat has not changed. The risk of direct military invasion threats to Latvia is currently low. Readiness for a possible threat is not the same as an immediate threat.”
The New York Times offered a contrasting account of Ratcliffe’s visit, reporting that the CIA director travelled to Moscow to privately share his bleak assessment of the state of the Russian war against Ukraine and to urge the Russians to cut a deal before their military and economic situation gets worse. According to current and former officials, Ratcliffe delivered the message to Alexander Bortnikov, the head of Russia’s FSB intelligence service, and made no threats about potential consequences should Putin ignore the assessment.
CIA analysts have long questioned whether Putin’s advisers have given him honest assessments of the war’s trajectory and toll. Ratcliffe is considered one of the more hawkish members of the administration towards Russia and more supportive of Ukraine than other officials involved in negotiations.
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