CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s surprise visit to Moscow was to warn Russia against attacking NATO allies, sources said. The US spy chief is said to have told Kremlin officials not to escalate conflict with the alliance, in particular Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
The Baltic states have long been viewed as the NATO countries most at risk from Russian aggression. American intelligence has previously warned Russia could be planning an attack on NATO territory to test the alliance’s resolve.
Warning over Ukraine escalation
Reports suggest Mr Ratcliffe warned Russia against launching any action in response to its war in Ukraine which is making little progress. He also used the unannounced trip to urge Moscow to reduce military and economic support for Iran, sources told POLITICO.
One person familiar with the visit said the CIA chief’s “meeting was primarily to warn Russia against any escalatory action against the Baltic states”. Some believe such action could be aimed at making the West reduce its support for Ukraine.
Flight details and context
Mr Ratcliffe touched down in the Russian capital on Tuesday in a US Air Force C-17 aircraft. Flight tracking data shows the plane flew from the US to Riga, Latvia, before then flying on to Moscow.
The trip was Mr Ratcliffe’s first known visit to Russia as CIA chief. The last time a CIA director visited Moscow was in November 2021 when William Burns urged the Kremlin against invading Ukraine — three months later Russian forces crossed the border.
Reactions and ongoing conflict
President Donald Trump insisted this week’s meeting was “semi-routine” and that “something may come out of” the talks. Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the discussions were between intelligence services. He added: "There were no meetings with the president of Russia. That's all I can say on the subject. Naturally, President Putin is briefed immediately about everything."
Washington informed Kyiv a delegation would be travelling to Moscow and asked it to suspend strikes on the region until it left, a senior Ukrainian official said. Ukraine and Russia have been locked in an intensifying campaign of long-range drone and missile strikes.
Ukrainian attacks on oil infrastructure and Russia’s largest online retailer has heaped pressure on the Kremlin and its economy. Russia has issued threats against NATO countries supporting Ukraine in recent weeks, sparking fears of further escalation. Moscow continues to suffer heavy losses as it struggles to achieve a breakthrough in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region.
Ukrainian intelligence suggests the Kremlin could mobilise up to half a million people after next month’s parliamentary election in a bid to turn the tide of the conflict which has claimed the lives of around 500,000 Russian soldiers.
