Baltics downplay threat after CIA chief’s ‘warning to Russia’ on Nato

Leaders of Estonia and Latvia sought to play down the significance of a rare visit to Moscow by CIA chief John Ratcliffe, saying the threat Russia poses to the region hasn’t changed.“Throughout Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, US officials have met regularly with Russian representatives, so the CIA director’s visit should not be regarded as pivotal,” Estonian foreign minister Margus Tsahkna said in a statement Thursday. Separately, Latvian PM Andris Kulbergs said there “is currently no reason for concern.”The trip followed warnings from intelligence officials that Russian security services are looking at hybrid warfare operations, which could include infrastructure sabotage or false-flag attacks, against the Baltic states and Poland.The Wall Street Journal and Politico reported Wednesday that the purpose of Ratcliffe’s meetings was to warn Moscow not to attack Nato countries, particularly the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lit­huania. The CIA hasn’t co­mm­ented. President Trump said on Wednesday that Ratcliffe was in Moscow on a “semi-routine basis,” but did­n’t elaborate on the purpose of the visit. The head of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, Sergei Naryshkin, said the meeting took place in a “working format” and the two spy chiefs discussed issues within the remit of intelligence agencies, ac­cording to Interfax.Catch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.