CIA director warned Russia not to attack NATO countries during Moscow trip: Sources

CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Moscow earlier this week in part to warn Russia not to attack NATO countries, sources familiar with the trip told ABC News.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe aimed to dissuade Russia in a highly unusual trip to Moscow.

Trump says CIA director's trip to Moscow was 'semi-routine'  USA Today

WASHINGTON: 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 on Wednesday (Aug 26), after President Donald Trump sought to downplay the visit.The Wall Street Journal and CBS News reported CIA Director John Ratcliffe aimed to dis

Ratcliffe also discussed Iran while in Russia, telling intelligence officials there that additional sanctions would be implemented by the US if the Strait of Hormuz was not opened.

John Ratcliffe also discussed the war with Iran, warning of additional sanctions if the Strait of Hormuz doesn't reopen to shipping traffic

The purpose of the CIA chief's visit to Moscow this week was to warn Russia not to attack NATO member states, people familiar with the matter said, amid U.S. assessments that Russia could try to test NATO.

CIA chief warned Moscow ‘against Nato attack’ in surprise trip  The Times

Exclusive | CIA Chief’s Surprise Moscow Trip Was to Warn Russia Not to Attack NATO  WSJ

CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s brief trip to Moscow yesterday was unannounced but hard to miss: He flew in a C-17A, a large heavy-transport plane, that open-source analysts quickly identified and tracked. Within hours, he was already on his way home. The purpose of Ratcliffe’s visit remains unknown. In an interview with

Trump says CIA chief's Russia trip was 'semi-routine' as Ukraine still awaits briefing  The Kyiv Independent

Ratcliffe's visit was the first known trip to Russia by a CIA director since William Burns visited in late 2021.

Donald Trump expressed hope that the spy chief’s unannounced visit to Russia could help end the war in Ukraine.

John Ratcliffe travelled to the Russian capital on Tuesday in a rare and unannounced visit.

The Kremlin said that John Ratcliffe did not meet President Vladimir Putin during the trip.

The Kremlin says John Ratcliffe met Russian intelligence officials but not Vladimir Putin during his surprise visit to Moscow on Tuesday. The secrecy surrounding the trip fuelled speculation that the CIA director was carrying a warning from Washington.

Neither the White House or the Kremlin have offered an explanation for the first trip by a US spy chief to the Russian capital in nearly five years

European countries have every reason to be concerned over John Ratcliffe's visit to Russia

The director of the CIA took a secret trip to Russia amid fears of aggression towards NATO.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed three undisclosed decrees on Aug. 25, coinciding with CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s surprise Moscow visit and a US request for Ukraine to pause strikes on Moscow and St. Petersburg. The contents of the decrees remain unknown.

US tells Ukraine to halt air strikes on Russian capital as John Ratcliffe flies in on military plane

CIA Director John Ratcliffe secretly visited Moscow aboard a not-so-secret C-17 Globemaster to engage in high-level discussions with Russian officials. His visit was reported by CBS News and was cited by Russian state media, including TASS. U.S. and Russian officials both declined to comment or claimed ignorance. Kreml

The visit comes as Ukrainian forces have stepped up attacks deep inside Russia, including in the capital.

CIA director makes unannounced visit to Moscow to meet with Russian officials, source says  CNN

Data from Flightradar24 earlier showed a US military C-17 travelling from the United States to Latvia and then on to Moscow.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe flew to Russia to holds talks in Moscow Tuesday, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.