Bombay Durpun - Russia dismisses as 'scare stories' US reports about attacking NATO

US President Donald Trump and a senior EU official also played down the risk of Russian aggression.

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 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."

On Ukraine, he said Russia "would prefer to achieve its objectives by peaceful means, but in the absence of an opportunity to do so, it is continuing the special military operation", referring to Moscow's ongoing Ukraine offensive.

Peskov also criticised Ukraine's European backers, saying Russia "is facing a very aggressive policy" from them.

Russia has repeatedly rebuffed Ukrainian demands for face-to-face peace talks between President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky, instead demanding Kyiv withdraw from its eastern Donbas region.

- No signs detected -

Trump also played down suggestions of any Russian threat, saying he had "had good talks" with Russia's President Vladimir Putin.

"He's not going to be attacking a NATO territory," he added.

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.

"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".

- 'Semi-routine' -

CBS News, citing multiple people familiar with the matter, reported that Ratcliffe had also discussed the war in Iran, warning of additional sanctions if the Strait of Hormuz did not reopen to shipping traffic.

Trump also played down Tuesday's talks in Moscow, suggesting they concerned Ukraine and dismissed reports that Ratcliffe had raised NATO or the US campaign to pressure Iran.

"He's there, very sort of semi-routine. I hate to disappoint people. We would like to see the war with Ukraine end," Trump said in an interview with conservative radio host Glenn Beck.

The White House did not respond to multiple AFP requests for comment.

Ratcliffe is one of the highest-ranking US officials to visit Russia since the war in Ukraine began in 2022.

His visit came as Moscow escalates its offensive, with attacks this summer driving up the civilian death toll, while US-brokered peace talks have stalled.

The last CIA director to visit Moscow was William Burns in November 2021, when he warned Russia against sending troops into Ukraine.

Three months later, the Kremlin launched the offensive, which turned into Europe's worst conflict since World War II.

The CIA has also been involved in prisoner swap deals with Russia, including a major exchange in mid-2024.

Widespread drone use at the front has made swift, large-scale troop movements almost impossible, preventing either side from gaining a clear advantage in the grinding four-and-a-half-year war.

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D.Jayaraman--BD