CIA Chief Warned Russia Against Attacking NATO During Moscow Visit

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent

WASHINGTON/MOSCOW/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – The director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), John Ratcliffe, traveled to Moscow earlier this week in part to warn Russia not to attack countries belonging to the NATO military alliance, sources familiar with the mission said Thursday.

Ratcliffe reportedly also raised Iran during meetings in Moscow amid concerns about Russia’s close relationship with the Islamic Republic.

His unusual visit was closely watched in Europe, where several countries have expressed concern about what Western officials describe as Russia’s hybrid warfare against NATO members and other European nations.

Recent incidents and alleged operations have included Russian drone incursions into NATO airspace, cyberattacks, arson, sabotage and plots to assassinate individuals across Europe. Western officials have accused Russia and its proxies of waging an increasingly aggressive hybrid campaign aimed partly at weakening support for Ukraine.

Among the cases was the 2024 killing in Spain of Russian military defector Maksim Kuzminov, with Western intelligence officials suspecting Russian involvement, and a foiled plot to assassinate Rheinmetall chief Armin Papperger in Germany. NATO later confirmed that the Papperger murder plot was part of a broader sabotage campaign and said other assassination plots had also been uncovered.

NATO DEFENSE CONCERNS

The allegations follow earlier Russian-linked attacks in Britain, including the 2006 killing of former Russian intelligence officer Alexander Litvinenko and the 2018 Novichok assassination attempt against former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal. A British inquiry concluded in 2025 that Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized the operation targeting Skripal. Russia has repeatedly denied involvement in such attacks.

U.S. intelligence assessments have meanwhile raised concerns that Putin could authorize provocative actions on NATO territory, including cyberattacks, hybrid operations or other measures falling short of a conventional military assault, according to officials familiar with the assessments.

Such actions could be aimed at testing NATO’s unity and Washington’s willingness to defend its European allies rather than immediately triggering a broader war, officials suggested.

Under Article 5 of NATO’s founding treaty, an armed attack against one member is considered an attack against them all, requiring allies to come to its assistance.

The CIA declined to comment publicly on the purpose of Ratcliffe’s trip, his first known visit to Russia since becoming director of the U.S. spy agency.

TRUMP CALLS VISIT ‘SEMI-ROUTINE’

U.S. President Donald J. Trump confirmed Ratcliffe’s visit Wednesday in an interview with commentator Glenn Beck but described the mission as “semi-routine.”

When asked whether the trip involved concerns about increased Russian aggression against NATO or growing economic pressure on Iran, Trump said it involved neither.

Trump instead pointed to his administration’s efforts to end Russia’s more than four-year-old full-scale war against Ukraine, where diplomatic attempts to reach a lasting settlement have struggled to make progress.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Ratcliffe held talks with Russian intelligence officials but did not meet Putin. The Russian president was subsequently briefed about the discussions.

Sources familiar with Ratcliffe’s mission said Iran was nevertheless discussed, with Washington reportedly warning about additional sanctions if the Strait of Hormuz remained closed to shipping.

IRAN DISCUSSED IN MOSCOW

Russia has maintained close relations with Iran as tensions between Washington and Tehran have intensified. Ratcliffe reportedly traveled aboard a U.S. Air Force C-17 transport aircraft, which flew through Riga, Latvia, before reaching Moscow on Tuesday.

Ukraine was informed that a senior U.S. delegation would travel to Moscow and was asked to suspend strikes during the visit, according to officials familiar with the arrangements.

The mission carried echoes of the last known visit to Moscow by a CIA director. In November 2021, then-CIA Director William Burns traveled to Russia to warn Putin and senior Russian officials against invading Ukraine.

Russia ignored that warning and launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, triggering Europe’s largest armed conflict since World War Two.

Ratcliffe’s visit came as Russia and Ukraine intensified long-range attacks against each other and Moscow stepped up missile and drone strikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities.

For NATO’s European members, the reported warning underscored concerns that Russia’s confrontation with the West could eventually extend beyond Ukraine and directly test the alliance’s collective defense commitments.

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