CIA chief warned Moscow against escalation toward Baltic NATO states, Politico reports

CIA Director John Ratcliffe warned Russian officials during a visit to Moscow this week against escalating tensions with NATO members, particularly Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, Politico reported on Aug. 26, citing two people familiar with the matter.

Ratcliffe traveled to the Russian capital on Aug. 25 in a previously unannounced visit, marking the first known trip to Moscow by a CIA director during U.S. President Donald Trump’s current administration.

His "meeting was primarily to warn Russia against any escalatory action against the Baltic states," one person familiar with the talks told Politico.

Earlier in August, U.S. intelligence assessments warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin could test NATO’s resolve with a limited attack on an alliance member as early as this fall, the Wall Street Journal reported. The assessment marked a shift from previous U.S. expectations that Moscow was unlikely to target NATO while its military remained heavily engaged in Ukraine, and echoed similar warnings issued by European officials in recent months.

The visit comes amid growing concerns over possible Russian actions against NATO countries supporting Ukraine. Moscow has repeatedly threatened Western governments backing Kyiv, while Russia has also been accused for years of using cyberattacks, sabotage, and other hybrid operations against European countries.

Under NATO’s collective defense principle, an armed attack against one member is considered an attack against all.

Ratcliffe also urged Moscow to reduce its military and economic support for Iran, Politico reported, citing one of its sources and a U.K. official familiar with the trip. According to the British official, the CIA director called on Russia to stop providing Iran with weapons and defense technology and advised Moscow against "overreacting" if it is affected by expanded U.S. sanctions targeting countries that maintain economic ties with Tehran.

Trump described Ratcliffe’s visit as "semi-routine" in a radio interview on Aug. 26 and rejected speculation that the CIA chief had specifically been sent to prevent Russia from testing NATO’s resolve.

"I hate to disappoint people. We would like to see the war with Ukraine end," Trump said, acknowledging that the visit was related to efforts to end Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Politico reported that the military aircraft carrying Ratcliffe to Moscow had departed from Latvia, according to publicly available flight-tracking data. The CIA did not respond to the outlet’s request for comment.