Nearly a week after CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s secret trip to Moscow fuelled fears that Russia could be preparing to test NATO, European officials are pushing back against suggestions that a conventional attack might be imminent.
From Finland and Romania to the Baltic states, governments say there is no evidence Moscow is preparing for a direct confrontation with NATO – even as they continue strengthening their defences and warn of a growing Russian threat.
Officials across NATO’s eastern flank argue that preparing for Russian aggression is not the same as expecting it.
John Hardie, deputy director of the Russia Program at the US-based Foundation for Defence of Democracies, told Euronews that Ratcliffe may have been delivering several messages in Moscow.
“My own view is that a conventional Russian military attack against a NATO member remains highly unlikely, especially while the Ukraine war continues,” Hardie said. "However, even while that scenario remains unlikely overall, there are reasons to see the risk ticking up a bit."
