CIA Chief Makes Surprise Visit to Moscow, Putin Warned Over NATO

CIA Director John Ratcliffe secretly travelled to Moscow this week carrying a number of important messages for Russia. One of them was a warning to President Vladimir Putin not to attack NATO territory.

Two sources familiar with the matter said Ratcliffe also used the visit to urge Moscow to halt its economic and military support for Iran. The move came as the administration of US President Donald Trump sought to pressure Tehran financially.

Ratcliffe’s visit was the first known trip by a senior Trump administration official to Moscow in several months. The journey took place amid concerns in the US and Europe that Putin could test NATO’s commitment through a limited attack on one of the alliance’s member states.

Trump himself played down the possibility of Russia attacking NATO. “I have had good talks with him. He will not attack NATO territory,” Trump said at the White House on Thursday (27/8/2026), as quoted by CNN International.

Asked whether Ratcliffe had conveyed the warning to Putin, Trump declined to answer directly. “I don’t want to comment on that, but they will not attack,” he said.

Trump had earlier described Ratcliffe’s trip to Moscow as a “very semi-routine” visit. “We want to see the war with Ukraine end,” Trump said in a radio interview.

US and Western intelligence assessments have previously estimated that Russia could attempt to test NATO’s resolve in the coming years, ranging from cyber attacks to limited military strikes. The Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, as well as Poland, have been identified as potential targets.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Ratcliffe did not meet Putin during his visit. According to Peskov, Ratcliffe’s contacts with Russia took place “more or less at the level of the special services”, which he viewed positively, although it was too early to assess whether the visit would help improve US-Russia relations, which are currently in a state of crisis.