Trump says Putin will not attack NATO after CIA director’s Moscow visit

Washington, United States. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin would not attack a NATO country, playing down reports that CIA Director John Ratcliffe warned Russian officials against such action during a visit to Moscow.

Trump said Ratcliffe’s meeting with Russian intelligence counterparts was routine and was not intended to deliver a specific message.

Trump disputes report on Moscow meeting

“He’s not going to attack a NATO territory,” Trump said of Putin while speaking to reporters in the Oval Office.

Earlier on Thursday, Trump told Axios in a phone interview that no such attack would take place and that Ratcliffe, who travelled to Russia on Tuesday for a brief meeting with intelligence counterparts, had not been sent to convey any particular message.

“Ratcliffe sees his Russian counterpart once every six months or once every year. They have a very good relationship. There was no message and there was nothing unusual,” Trump told Axios.

The comments followed a Wall Street Journal report on Wednesday that Ratcliffe had travelled to Moscow to warn Russia against attacking a NATO member.

Sources cite discussion of NATO and Iran

Two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters that Ratcliffe did raise the possibility of a Russian operation against a NATO member during the meeting, although it was unclear whether this was the sole purpose of the trip.

One source said the officials discussed several issues, including Russia’s support for Iran, which has been an irritant for the United States. The sources were granted anonymity to discuss U.S. intelligence.

Intelligence monitoring alleged Russian activities

European and U.S. intelligence officials have long monitored Russian sabotage and gray zone attacks in Europe that fall below the threshold of full-scale war. Such activities are generally aimed at weakening NATO unity and member states’ willingness to support Ukraine against Russian aggression.

Among potential plots monitored by Western intelligence officials in recent months is the possibility that Russia could use a Ukrainian drone to attack a country in eastern or northeastern Europe in a false flag operation intended to obscure Moscow’s involvement.