US CIA Director John Ratcliffe reportedly warned Russian officials against escalating the war in Ukraine, including through nuclear weapons use or attacks targeting NATO allies, following a rare visit to Moscow.
Ratcliffe traveled to the Russian capital on Tuesday for a face-to-face meeting with Russian intelligence officials focused on the ongoing war in Ukraine. The details of the warning were reported after the meeting, although the supplied material does not independently establish that the reported warning was delivered.
The Kremlin confirmed that Ratcliffe met with Russian intelligence officials. President Vladimir Putin did not attend the meeting personally, but his spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said the Russian president had been briefed.
Peskov described US-Russia relations as being in a “profound crisis” and said it was too early to determine whether continued contacts between the two countries could help improve the relationship.
“These contacts often continue even during the most difficult periods in bilateral relations,” Peskov said.
He added that it remained too early to say whether the dialogue would help move the two countries out of their current crisis.
US President Donald Trump also acknowledged Ratcliffe’s trip, describing the visit as “semi-routine” and rejecting some of the speculation surrounding it.
Trump nevertheless indicated that he believed the meeting could produce results.
“We’re working very hard to get that war ended,” Trump told US radio host Glenn Beck, adding that “something may come out of it.”
Concerns over possible Russian action against Britain
The reported warnings to Moscow come as separate claims in the supplied material raise concerns about possible Russian action against the UK.
Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, recently traveled to Kyiv and met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Following that visit, a senior source cited by the Daily Mail claimed that Britain’s defence and security infrastructure could face a Russian attack because of the UK’s prominent support for Ukraine.
The source suggested that potential action could include a drone or arson attack and claimed Russian sleeper cells were present in Britain. Those claims are attributed to the source and are not independently established by the supplied material.
Former Kremlin adviser Andrei Fedorov also warned that Russia could eventually respond to Britain’s support for Ukraine.
Fedorov said there could be a “visible reaction from Russia towards the UK” and suggested that British drone manufacturing facilities could face what he described as “semi-military” action by unknown sources.
The supplied material does not establish that Russia has decided to carry out such an attack.
Disagreement over Ukraine’s battlefield position
The report also highlighted conflicting assessments of Ukraine’s military position.
Former Ukrainian Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, described in the supplied material as having been ousted from his position, told Reuters that Ukraine was gradually losing the war.
“I think that there’s now a turning point which will determine our future trajectory, but it looks as though we’re gradually, slowly losing,” he said.
Moscow went further in its assessment, stating that “Ukraine is definitely losing the war.”
The competing statements come as Washington and Moscow continue contacts over the conflict, while concerns remain about the possibility of further escalation involving Ukraine’s Western allies.
