US President Donald Trump said yesterday that Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attack a Nato country, and he played down media reports that CIA Director John Ratcliffe warned Russian officials against such an attack earlier in the week.
Earlier in the day, Trump told Axios in a phone interview that there would be no such attack, and that Ratcliffe, who flew to Russia on Tuesday to meet briefly with intelligence counterparts, had not been dispatched to deliver any particular message.
Trump’s comments came after the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that Ratcliffe had travelled to Moscow to warn Russia off any attack on a Nato member.
Two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters that Ratcliffe did bring up the possibility of a Russian operation against a Nato member during that meeting, though it was unclear if that was the sole purpose of the trip.
One source said they discussed several topics, including Russia’s support for Iran, which has proven an irritant for the US.
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