Washington (TDI): US President Donald Trump has said Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attack a NATO member, while rejecting reports that CIA Director John Ratcliffe travelled to Moscow to warn Russia against such an attack.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump said, “He’s not going to attack a NATO territory.”
Trump also told Axios that Ratcliffe’s recent trip to Russia was routine and that he had not been sent to deliver any specific warning.
According to Trump, Ratcliffe meets his Russian intelligence counterpart periodically and maintains a good relationship with him. The president said there was “nothing unusual” about the visit.
Trump’s comments followed a Wall Street Journal report that Ratcliffe had travelled to Moscow on Tuesday and warned Russian officials against attacking a NATO member.
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Two sources familiar with the meeting said that Ratcliffe did raise the possibility of a Russian operation against a NATO country during his discussions with Russian counterparts, Reuters reported.
One source said the meeting covered several issues, including Russia’s support for Iran, which has become a point of tension between Washington and Moscow. The sources did not say whether the NATO issue was the main purpose of Ratcliffe’s visit, the report added.
Western intelligence agencies have for years monitored Russian “sabotage” and so-called grey-zone activities across Europe, particularly operations designed to test NATO’s unity and weaken support for Ukraine.
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Among the scenarios being monitored is the possibility of a false-flag operation in which Russia could use a Ukrainian drone to attack a country in eastern or northeastern Europe in an attempt to conceal Moscow’s involvement.
Despite the differing accounts of Ratcliffe’s Moscow visit, Trump sought to downplay concerns over a direct Russian attack on NATO, insisting that Putin would not take such a step.
