Bombay Durpun - Trump says Putin won't attack NATO territory

The Kremlin also dismissed the reports as "scare stories" following a rare visit to the Russian capital by CIA Director John Ratcliffe that sparked fevered speculation.

"I've had good talks with him. He's not going to be attacking a NATO territory," Trump told reporters at the White House when asked if Putin had agreed not to do so.

The Wall Street Journal and CBS News reported that Ratcliffe had sought to dissuade Russia against striking NATO, amid US intelligence assessments that Moscow could seek to test the alliance as tensions mount over the Ukraine war.

The Journal reported that Putin could test NATO with a "limited assault" within the next few years.

Asked if Ratcliffe had delivered such a message on the first such visit by a CIA director since 2021, Trump replied: "I don't want to comment on that, but they're not going to attack."

The last known telephone call between Trump and Putin was in June, while the two men last met in person a year ago in a summit in Alaska that failed to produce a breakthrough on Ukraine.

- 'Behaved quite well' -

During his Moscow visit, Ratcliffe also discussed the six-month-old US-Israeli war on Russia's ally Iran, CBS News reported.

But Trump also played down the need to punish Russia for trading with Tehran, after his administration announced an "economic D-Day" targeting the Islamic republic's business partners 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.

Trump had said Wednesday that the CIA director's Moscow trip was "semi-routine" and indicated it was linked to broader moves to end Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

The Kremlin itself had given similar assurances earlier Thursday that the reports of a possible Russian attack on NATO were baseless.

"A lot of such scare stories are being published right now. Of course, they have nothing to do with reality," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said when asked to comment on the reports at a daily briefing.

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 offensive against Kyiv.

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

- 'Sensitive matter' -

Russia's foreign intelligence chief Sergei Naryshkin had also 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 earlier Thursday.

The two discussed "a number of issues that fall within the remit of intelligence services," he said, describing it as "quite a delicate and special matter."

In Brussels, a senior EU official downplayed the threat of a Russian assault.

"European services in general do not see any risk of an attack from Russia to the European countries, and this assessment has not changed," the official said on condition of anonymity.

"When it comes to any threat to European NATO members, we see no assessment of any of that being under preparation now."

Ratcliffe is one of the highest-ranking US officials to visit Russia since the war in Ukraine began in 2022, following a number of trips by Trump's roving envoy Steve Witkoff.

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

Ratcliffe's visit came as Moscow escalates its military campaign, with attacks this summer driving up the civilian death toll, while US-brokered peace talks have stalled.

Putin is under mounting pressure as Ukrainian retaliatory drone strikes impose an ever-growing toll on the Russian economy and civilians.

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F.Mahajan--BD