CIA director warned Russia against attacking NATO: Reports

A surprise visit to Moscow by the head of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) served to warn Russia against launching an attack against NATO countries, according to multiple reports.

President Trump described CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s trip as “semi-routine” in an interview on Wednesday, and Baltic officials — on the border with Russia and its ally Belarus — are playing down any threat of an imminent attack.

The Wall Street Journal first reported on the contents of the spy chief’s meeting, which marked his first visit to Russia as CIA director. The last trip by the CIA director occurred in late 2021 during President Biden’s term, when spy chief Bill Burns traveled to warn Russian President Vladimir Putin against launching his full-scale invasion against Ukraine. Putin launched the invasion in February 2022.

The Hill reached out to the White House and CIA for comment.

Ratcliffe’s meeting came as Russia has intensified its aerial attacks against Ukraine, with an increasing number of civilians killed. At the same time, Kyiv has seized momentum in the 4 1/2-year war by increasing strikes deep inside Russia and against its military assets in the occupied Crimean peninsula.

The Journal reported earlier that the U.S. intelligence community assessed Putin could try to test the resolve of NATO with a limited assault on an allied country in the next few years. Meanwhile, Russian drone and missile incursions into NATO territory have escalated over the course of the year , while deemed indirect, and are a symptom of its stepped-up attacks against Ukraine.

One European official told The Hill that the U.S. briefed allies about the meeting in Moscow and that it focused on Ukraine. The official added there is no imminent military threat to NATO.

That matched statements coming from Baltic officials, who are stressing the military assessment has not changed. But they pointed out Russia’s hybrid warfare against Europe — a persistent gray-zone campaign — and war against Ukraine are threats to NATO’s security.

“Russia’s threat and possible provocations against NATO must be taken seriously. We remain vigilant, but Estonia’s threat assessment has not changed,” Estonia’s Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna posted on the social platform X.

“The clearer the message to Moscow that NATO is united and our collective defence remains rock-solid, the better. Russia must have no room to miscalculate.”

Latvia’s Foreign Minister Baiba Braže said there are no direct military threats but Russia remains a danger.

“Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and rising hybrid activities against NATO allies leave no room for complacency. Latvia’s threat assessment remains unchanged,” she posted on X .

“Together with our NATO allies, we are taking the necessary measures to strengthen our security.”

Russian Foreign Intelligence Service Director Sergey Naryshkin confirmed that he met with Ratcliffe during the U.S. spy chief’s visit to Moscow, Russian state media reported, and described the meetings as “regular,” citing Trump’s remarks downplaying the extraordinary face-to-face.

Trump, in the Wednesday interview, said the U.S. is trying to end Russia’s war in Ukraine and “something may come out of” Ratcliffe’s meeting. Trump has sought to position the U.S. as a neutral player between Russia and Ukraine, with increased outreach to Putin and downplaying American support for Kyiv.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, meeting with Trump last month, pushed for the president to send his top envoys for peace negotiations, his son-in-law Jared Kushner and business partner Steve Witkoff, for a first visit to Kyiv to restart efforts to negotiate with Russia.

Ukraine is also calling for increased supplies of air defenses, in particular U.S.-made Patriot interceptor missiles, that are the only defense against Russian ballistic missile attacks.