US President Donald Trump dispatched CIA Director John Ratcliffe to Moscow this week for a highly sensitive operation. This mission was kept under wraps, even from some senior officials in Washington, as reported by The Wall Street Journal.
Trump, however, played down the threat on Thursday, saying Russian President Vladimir Putin “won’t attack NATO territory. The secrecy surrounding the trip was so tight that several European officials were left scrambling for details after word of his visit emerged. Trump had already tried to break the diplomatic deadlock during his summit with Putin in Alaska last August. The meeting failed to produce a deal, and the administration subsequently continued pushing Kyiv to consider giving up territory in eastern Ukraine that Russia has not fully conquered. The risk of direct military invasion threats to Latvia is currently low.
Ratcliffe travelled to the Russian capital on an unmarked US C-17 military cargo aircraft from Latvia, according to US officials.
The CIA chief also used his Moscow visit to push for a revival of negotiations aimed at ending Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, US and European officials said. Kyrylo Budanov, chief of Ukraine’s presidential office, said Thursday that talks could resume as early as September. Latvia’s Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs sought to calm fears on Thursday, saying, “There is currently no reason for concern,” and adding that “Latvia’s level of military threat hasn’t changed. US and European officials said Ratcliffe also urged Russia to distance itself from economic and security ties with Iran, as the Trump administration steps up its sanctions campaign against Tehran.
