President Trump told Axios in a phone interview on Thursday that he isn’t concerned that Russia will attack NATO countries.
Why it matters: European leaders have grown extremely concerned and warned publicly that Moscow could test NATO’s resolve — and Trump’s commitment to Article 5, the alliance’s collective-defense clause — through a limited attack or other military provocations.
- CIA Director John Ratcliffe made a covert trip to Moscow on Tuesday and met with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Naryshkin.
- Several media outlets reported that the visit was an effort to warn Moscow not to attack a NATO country.
- But Trump disputed those reports, telling Axios Ratcliffe delivered no such warning.
What he’s saying: “I am not concerned … at all. There is no problem,” Trump said when asked about a possible Russian provocation against NATO countries.
- The president called Ratcliffe’s trip “standard business” and expressed puzzlement over the media accounts of it.
- “Ratcliffe sees his Russian counterpart once every six months or once every year. They have a very good relationship. There was no message and there was nothing unusual,” Trump said.
- Speaking with reporters two hours later, Trump was asked again whether the U.S. delivered a warning to Russian President Vladimir Putin about potential attacks on NATO countries.
- Trump said he didn’t want to comment, but added, “They are not going to attack NATO territory.”
The other side: Naryshkin, the director of the Russian foreign intelligence service, confirmed on Thursday that he met with Ratcliffe during his visit to Moscow.
- He said the talks were “a regular part of their work” and that “there was nothing out of the ordinary.”
- Naryshkin said he discussed “intelligence matters” with Ratcliffe.
State of play: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Axios in July that Putin is planning a massive mobilization of 500,000 troops in the coming months for a renewed offensive in Ukraine.
- Zelensky claimed Russia is also building infrastructure for 30,000 additional troops from North Korea who would be sent to fight in Ukraine.
- In recent weeks, Russian drones that entered the airspace of several NATO members, including Romania and Poland, were shot down.
- On Thursday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said the UK and France “are playing with fire” by supplying technology that enables Ukraine to conduct long-range attacks deep inside Russia.
- A Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson threatened to strike British military targets inside and outside Ukraine in retaliation for the UK’s military assistance to Ukraine.
