Trump says Russia will not attack NATO

Trump says Russia will not attack NATO

US President Donald Trump on August 27 stressed that Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attack NATO countries. He also denied reports that CIA Director John Ratcliffe had traveled to Moscow to warn Russian officials against such an attack.

John Ratcliffe made a surprise visit to Moscow on August 26. According to the WSJ and Politico, he went to warn Russian officials not to attack NATO countries. The intelligence chief reportedly called on Russian officials to refrain from any military escalation, especially against the Baltic states. He also urged Moscow to stop its military and economic support for Iran.

“He is not going to attack NATO territory,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office of the White House, referring to Putin.

Trump gave a telephone interview to Axios earlier in the day. In the interview, he noted that such an attack would not happen. He also said Ratcliffe was not sent to Moscow to deliver any specific messages.

“Ratcliffe meets with his Russian counterpart every six months or a year. Their relationship is very good. There were no messages sent and there was nothing unusual about it,” Trump told the publication.

European and U.S. intelligence officials have long been monitoring Russia’s subversive activities and “gray zone” attacks in Europe. Such actions do not amount to all-out war. They are aimed at undermining NATO’s unity and the willingness of member states to support Ukraine.