WSJ: CIA Chief’s Surprise Moscow Trip Was to Warn Russia Not to Attack NATO
Ratcliffe also pressed Moscow to avoid escalating tensions with NATO allies and to reduce support for Iran, officials said.
- On Wednesday, Ratcliffe secretly flew to Moscow to urge Russian officials to stop sharing weapons and defense technology with Iran and avoid 'overreacting' to sanctions.
- Mirroring his clandestine trip to Cuba in May, the visit reflects Trump's strategy of deploying Ratcliffe for tense diplomatic negotiations with major adversaries.
- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent threatened on Monday to expand sanctions on countries maintaining ties with Iran, while Russia has reportedly bolstered Tehran's drone arsenal and may help pinpoint strikes against U.S. facilities in the Middle East.
- Ratcliffe, widely viewed as a Russia hawk, addressed concerns over the Kremlin's 'short-of-war' techniques—sabotage and cyberattacks—used to undermine allies in Europe without triggering broader NATO retaliation.
- Official silence surrounds the flight, with spokespeople for the embassies of Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia declining comment, while a Treasury Department spokesperson did not respond on Wednesday.
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The head of the U.S. intelligence agency, John Ratcliffe, was in Russia's capital. What did he do there? Now first details of the secret mission become known.
On Tuesday, CIA director John Ratcliffe travelled to Moscow to apparently warn Russia of an escalation against NATO members. How big is the risk of an attack?
When the head of the U.S. intelligence service visits Russia's capital, that's something special, and it looks like John Ratcliffe has delivered a clear and unfortunately necessary message there.
With his surprise visit to Moscow, US CIA Director John Ratcliffe wanted to warn Russia not to launch an attack against NATO. This is reported by the American newspaper Wall Street Journal, based on witnesses briefed about the visit. Intelligence agencies suspect that Vladimir Putin could carry out a limited attack on a NATO member state in the coming years to test the alliance's resolve.
American Media: ‘CIA Chief John Ratcliffe Was in Moscow to Warn Russia Not to Attack NATO Countries’
The Americans were reportedly particularly concerned about the Russian threat to the Baltic states. John Ratcliffe also reportedly urged the Russians to stop their military and economic support to Iran.
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