CIA Director John Ratcliffe warned Russian officials in Moscow this week against escalating the conflict with America’s NATO allies, particularly Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
According to Ukrinform, Politico reported this, citing two people familiar with the matter.
According to one of the two sources and a British official familiar with the trip, Ratcliffe also used his rare unannounced visit to the Russian capital on Tuesday to pressure Russia to reduce its military and economic support for Iran.
Russia has publicly issued a series of threats in recent weeks against NATO countries supporting Ukraine, raising concerns that Moscow could resort to new aggressive acts of hybrid warfare or limited military action against NATO allies, including the United Kingdom.
One source said Ratcliffe’s visit was primarily intended to warn Russia against any escalatory actions targeting the Baltic states.
