Trump Says 'Putin Won't Attack NATO'; Kremlin calls reports of possible Russian strike "horror stories"

US President Donald Trump said he does not believe Russian President Vladimir Putin will attack a NATO member as concerns grow in Europe about Moscow’s expanding campaign of hybrid attacks against countries that support Ukraine.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday (Aug. 27), Trump said he had “good conversations” with Putin and was confident that Russia would not attack NATO territory.

“He will not attack NATO territory,” Trump said.

Trump also sought to play down reports that CIA Director John Ratcliffe had traveled to Moscow to warn Russian officials of any potential attack on the NATO country.

Trump says Ratcliffe’s trip to Moscow was routine

Ratcliffe made a rare visit to Russia on Tuesday where he met his Russian counterpart Sergei Naryshkin. The details of their meeting have not been made public.

Trump said the CIA director was not sent to Moscow to issue a specific warning.

In a phone interview with Axios, Trump said that Ratcliffe meets regularly with his Russian counterpart and that there was “no news” and “nothing unusual” about the visit.

“Ratcliffe sees his Russian counterpart once every six months or once a year. They have a very good relationship,” Trump said.

Trump similarly described the trip as “semi-routine” during a radio interview with conservative host Glenn Beck on Wednesday.

“It’s there, kind of semi-routine. I don’t like to let people down. We’d like to see an end to the war with Ukraine,” Trump said.

Ratcliffe’s visit makes him one of the highest-ranking US officials to travel to Russia since Moscow launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The Kremlin rejects reports of potential NATO attacks

The Kremlin also dismissed reports that Russia could be preparing to attack a NATO country.

Asked about the reports at a daily briefing, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed them as “scary stories” and said they had no connection to reality.

“There are a lot of such scary stories coming out right now. Of course, they have nothing to do with reality,” Peskov said.

Peskov claimed that Russia would prefer to achieve its goals in Ukraine through peaceful means, but said that Moscow would continue the military campaign if that was not possible.

He also accused European countries supporting Ukraine of pursuing what he described as an “aggressive policy” towards Russia.

Meanwhile, Naryshkin confirmed that he had met with Ratcliffe, but also played down the significance of the talks.

“Yes, the meeting took place, but there is nothing unusual about it,” Naryshkin said, according to Russian state news agency TASS.

Europe remains concerned about Russian hybrid attacks

Despite assurances from Trump and Moscow, European and US intelligence services continued to monitor Russian sabotage and so-called gray zones, or hybrid operations, across Europe.

These activities include cyber attacks, sabotage, disinformation campaigns and the use of drones. Such operations generally remain below the threshold of conventional warfare, but aim to undermine NATO unity and weaken support for Ukraine.

Concerns have grown as Russia’s war against Ukraine continues and Moscow faces increasing pressure from Ukrainian retaliatory strikes.

Poland said this month it had thwarted an alleged assassination attempt on a U.S. citizen of Ukrainian origin, which it said was ordered by Russia. Estonia also accused Moscow of involvement in a fire at a facility belonging to a drone manufacturer.

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The war in Ukraine remains unresolved

Ratcliffe’s visit to Moscow comes as US-backed efforts to end the war have stalled and Russia has stepped up its military campaign.

Russia continues to demand that Ukraine withdraw from parts of the eastern Donbas region, while Moscow has repeatedly rejected Ukrainian calls for direct face-to-face talks between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian drone strikes deep inside Russia are increasingly hitting military targets, infrastructure and civilian areas.

The widespread use of drones by both sides has also changed battlefield tactics, making it difficult to move large units and contributing to an overwhelming conflict in which neither side has secured a decisive advantage.

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