CIA Director John Ratcliffe warns Russia against attacking NATO after intelligence assessments show Vladimir Putin could launch ‘a limited assault on an allied country in the next few years’
CIA Director John Ratcliffe made a previously undisclosed trip to Moscow to warn Russia against attacking any NATO member, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Direct warning to Vladimir Putin
After a U.S. military transport plane arrived in Moscow on Tuesday, August 25, sparking speculation about its passengers and purpose, CBS News reported that Ratcliffe was aboard the aircraft — but the reason for his visit initially remained unclear as Russia continues its war in Ukraine. The United States has continued to arm Ukraine as Kyiv has sought to repel the Russian invasion, which began in February 2022.
On August 26, The Wall Street Journal reported that Ratcliffe traveled to deliver a direct warning to President Vladimir Putin’s government not to attack NATO countries, citing people briefed on the visit.
“The trip was spy-agency chief John Ratcliffe’s first publicly known visit to the Russian capital,” the newspaper stated. “It followed new U.S. intelligence assessments, reported earlier by The Wall Street Journal, that Russian President Vladimir Putin could try to test the resolve of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization with a limited assault on an allied country in the next few years.”
Vladimir Putin testing NATO
Earlier in August, The Wall Street Journal reported U.S. intelligence assessments suggested Putin could attempt to test NATO by ordering a limited incursion into an alliance member.
U.S. officials are reportedly concerned Russia could target one of the Baltic nations — Estonia, Latvia or Lithuania — all former Soviet republics. Putin has described the collapse of the Soviet Union as a “genuine tragedy.”
The outlet also reported that depleted U.S. weapons stockpiles resulting from the Iran war could be encouraging Putin to consider a move against a NATO country.
Ratcliffe did not meet with Putin during the trip, according to The Wall Street Journal.
His visit follows several trips to Russia by Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East.