A highly unusual trip by the CIA director to Moscow this week was to warn Russia against any attack on NATO member states, US media reported Wednesday, after President Donald Trump sought to downplay the visit.
The Wall Street Journal and CBS News reported CIA Director John Ratcliffe aimed to dissuade Russia from attacking NATO members amid US intelligence assessments that Moscow could seek to test the alliance.
The Journal specified that Putin could test the North Atlantic Treaty Organization with a "limited assault" in the next few years.
The White House did not respond to multiple AFP requests for comment on the matter, and Trump said Ratcliffe's visit to Moscow on Tuesday was "semi-routine," implying that the intelligence chief was in the Russian capital to discuss the Ukraine war.
"He's there, very sort of semi-routine. I hate to disappoint people. We would like to see the war with Ukraine end," Trump said in an interview with conservative radio host Glenn Beck.
Ratcliffe is one of the highest-ranking US officials to visit Russia since its war with Ukraine started in 2022.
His visit came amid an escalation in Moscow's offensive in Ukraine, with attacks this summer increasing the civilian death toll, while US-brokered peace talks have stalled.
During his visit, Ratcliffe also discussed the war with Iran, warning of additional sanctions if the Strait of Hormuz doesn't reopen to shipping traffic, CBS News reported, citing multiple people familiar with the matter.
- 'Contacts' -
The Kremlin said Wednesday that Ratcliffe had "contacts" with Russia's special services on his visit to Moscow but did not meet President Vladimir Putin.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin was briefed on the talks but refused to say whether the Ukraine war was raised.
"Contacts through the intelligence services are a positive development in and of themselves. It is too early to say how this will affect the process of resolving the crisis in our relations," Peskov said.
The last time a CIA director visited Moscow was in November 2021 -- when William Burns warned Russia against sending troops into Ukraine. Weeks later, the Kremlin launched its attack that turned into Europe's worst conflict since World War II.
The CIA has also been involved in prisoner swap deals with Russia, including a major exchange in mid-2024.
The war in Ukraine has killed hundreds of thousands and the Kremlin has refused to ease its maximalist demands of seizing the rest of eastern Ukraine and keeping Crimea.
Trump dismissed suggestions that Ratcliffe was discussing other issues such as Russia testing the resolve of NATO or the US campaign to ramp up economic pressure on Iran.
"He is not in there for any of the things that you said, now something may come out, you know, out of it," Trump told Beck.
"We're working very hard to get that war ended, and frankly, they both want to see it ended at this point," the US president said.
