US President Donald Trump asserted on Thursday that Vladimir Putin would not attack NATO territory, two days after a surprise visit to Moscow by CIA Director John Ratcliffe. The Kremlin and Brussels issued similar statements, dismissing reports of an imminent Russian threat to Europe.
“I had good discussions with him. He’s not going to attack NATO territory,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday, August 27. These words directly echoed the revelations by the Wall Street Journal and CBS News, which presented Ratcliffe’s visit to Moscow as an attempt to deter Russia from attacking members of the Alliance, amid analyses by US intelligence services indicating that Moscow might be seeking to test NATO.
When asked about the precise content of the discussions held by his CIA director, Trump dodged the question: "I don't want to comment on that, but they're not going to attack." In an interview with conservative radio host Glenn Beck, he downplayed the significance of the trip, calling it "almost a routine visit" focused primarily on Ukraine, and dismissed reports that Ratcliffe had discussed NATO or American pressure on Iran.
On the Russian side, foreign intelligence chief Sergei Naryshkin adopted the same tone. "Yes, the meeting did take place, but there's nothing unusual about it," he told the state news agency TASS, describing the discussions as "a rather delicate and particular matter" concerning "a number of issues that fall under the purview of the intelligence services." Ratcliffe is one of the highest-ranking US officials to set foot on Russian soil since the start of the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed reports in the American media about a possible Russian offensive against NATO as "alarmist narratives." "Of course, they have nothing to do with reality," he stated during his daily press briefing. Regarding Ukraine, he indicated that Moscow "would prefer to achieve its objectives through peaceful means," while continuing what he called "the special military operation."
In Brussels, a senior European Union official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed this interpretation: "European services, in general, see no risk of a Russian attack against European countries, and this assessment has not changed." She specified that she had "no analysis suggesting that anything is currently being prepared" against European members of the Alliance.
These statements come as the situation on the ground remains tense. Moscow has intensified its offensive since the summer, with a rising civilian death toll, while US-brokered peace talks are at a standstill. Russia has repeatedly rejected Ukrainian demands for a direct meeting between Putin and Zelensky, insisting on Kyiv's withdrawal from the Donbas. For its part, Ukraine is increasing its drone strikes in retaliation, which, according to Trump himself, are inflicting a growing cost on the Russian economy. The drone war now makes any large-scale, rapid movement for either side virtually impossible, entrenching the conflict in a logic of attrition after four and a half years of war.
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