Trump Says Putin Will Not Strike NATO Territory, Dismisses Ratcliffe Trip Reports
Trump asserts Putin won't attack NATO territory and downplays CIA chief Ratcliffe's Moscow visit as routine.
US President Donald Trump has said he does not believe Russian President Vladimir Putin will launch an attack on any NATO member state. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump stated, "He's not going to attack a NATO territory."
Earlier in the day, Trump had made similar remarks in a phone interview, while also addressing reports about a recent trip to Moscow by CIA Director John Ratcliffe. The president dismissed the notion that Ratcliffe had been sent to deliver a specific warning to Russian officials about attacking NATO allies.
"Ratcliffe sees his Russian counterpart once every six months or once every year. They have a very good relationship. There was no message and there was nothing unusual," Trump told the news outlet.
The comments come amid long-standing concerns among European and US intelligence agencies about Russian activities in Europe. These include sabotage and so-called gray zone operations that are designed to stay below the threshold of open conflict. Such actions are generally seen as attempts to weaken NATO's unity and to reduce member states' support for Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression.