According to people who heard a briefing on this visit, the Director of the CIA visited Moscow unexpectedly this week in order to issue a warning to Russia, urging it not to attack NATO countries.
This is the first public mention of John Ratcliffe, the director of the CIA, regarding his visit to Moscow. Previously, American intelligence agencies made a new assessment. The Wall Street Journal reported earlier that this assessment suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin might try to test the determination of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) by launching a limited attack against a NATO ally in the coming years.
The Wall Street Journal previously reported that American officials are concerned that Putin is currently under pressure on the Ukrainian battlefield, as well as domestically. In such a situation, he might launch some form of attack, which could range from cyber attacks to minor ground invasions, with targets likely being Baltic states.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow on Wednesday that during his stay in the Russian capital, Ratcliffe held talks with officials from the Russian intelligence agency, but did not meet with President Putin himself. Peskov said that Putin has received reports about the talks.
Regarding Lattcliffe's visit, the White House provided very little clear information.
President Donald Trump described this visit as a "semi-routine" interview during an interview with conservative radio host Glenn Beck on Wednesday, and then turned the conversation to the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Trump said, "This visit may lead to some results. We are working very hard to bring an end to that war. Frankly, both sides currently hope to see the war end."
A White House spokeswoman asked reporters to refer to the remarks made by Trump on Wednesday. A CIA spokeswoman declined to comment.
Lattcliffe is one of Trump’s closest assistants. He was the latest U.S. official to visit Moscow recently. Previously, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff had already visited Moscow several times in charge of peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
Currently, the Russo-Ukrainian war has entered its fifth year. Under such circumstances, it is a very rare event for the head of the US intelligence agency to visit Russia.
The last public visit of the CIA Director known to the outside world occurred in November 2021. At that time, William Burns, who served as the CIA Director during the presidency of former President Joe Biden, went to Moscow to warn Putin not to attack Ukraine.
