WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Thursday said President Vladimir Putin is “not going to attack” NATO territory, pushing back against media reports that Washington is concerned about a possible Russian move on Europe.
Trump’s comments came two days after CIA Director John Ratcliffe flew to Moscow for surprise talks that US media said were to warn Moscow not to attack the NATO alliance.
“I’ve had good talks with him. He’s not going to be attacking a NATO territory,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked if the Russian president had agreed not to do so.
Reporter: Did CIA Director Ratcliffe deliver a warning to Russia not to attack NATO territory?
Trump: I don’t want to comment on that, but they are not going to attack. pic.twitter.com/Vpd80W3VTi
— Clash Report (@clashreport) August 27, 2026
Asked to confirm the reports about Ratcliffe delivering a warning to the Russians, Trump replied: “I don’t want to comment on that, but they’re not going to attack.”
Trump also played down the need to punish Russia for trading with their ally Iran, after his administration announced an “economic D-Day” targeting Tehran if it refuses to open the Strait of Hormuz.
“So far, I think Russia’s behaved quite well, having to do with the Strait of Hormuz,” he said.
Russia dismisses ‘scare stories’ about attacking NATO
Meanwhile, the Kremlin on Thursday dismissed as “scare stories” US media reports suggesting that Russia could attack NATO.
The Wall Street Journal and CBS News reported that CIA Director John Ratcliffe had sought to dissuade Russia from attacking NATO members, amid US intelligence assessments that Moscow could seek to test the alliance.
The Wall Street Journal reported that President Vladimir Putin could test NATO with a “limited assault” within the next few years.
Asked to comment on the reports at a daily briefing, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “A lot of such scare stories are being published right now. Of course, they have nothing to do with reality.”
Russia criticises Ukraine’s European backers
Peskov also criticised Ukraine’s European backers, saying Russia “is facing a very aggressive policy” from them.
And in Brussels, a senior EU official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “European services in general do not see any risk of an attack from Russia to the European countries, and this assessment has not changed, AFP reported.
“When it comes to any threat to European NATO members, we see no assessment of any of that being under preparation now,” she added.
Earlier Thursday, Russia’s foreign intelligence chief Sergei Naryshkin had played down the meeting with his CIA counterpart.
“Yes, the meeting did take place, but there is nothing unusual about it,” Naryshkin was quoted as saying by state news agency TASS.
The two had discussed “a number of issues that fall within the remit of intelligence services”, he said, describing it as “quite a delicate and special matter”.
