The Kremlin denied on Thursday that Russia has plans to attack a NATO country and its spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, described the reports published in this regard as a “distortion of reality.” According to Western media, these alleged Moscow plans would be the reason for the lightning trip that CIA Director John Ratcliffe made to Russia last Tuesday.
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Peskov pointed out that in the West there are many “horror stories” about possible Moscow actions against the Atlantic Alliance, but that, according to him, they do not reflect the reality or intentions of Russia.
He also denounced that his country “faces a very aggressive policy against it by European countries.” According to him, “the aggressiveness comes precisely from the European countries. And whoever says otherwise is distorting reality and it is nothing more than journalistic hoaxes.”
Although he did not cite it, the press chief of Russian President Vladimir Putin seemed to be referring to a report from the American newspaper The Washington Post, which had published that Ratcliffe’s mysterious trip was intended to warn the Kremlin not to attack NATO.
The Washington, D.C. newspaper added that the head of the American intelligence agency met with Russian officials after learning that Putin might try to test NATO with a small-scale incursion, as European officials had repeatedly warned, according to the newspaper.
Already in early July, Peskov described Western media publications about a possible Russian attack on Poland as “horrible.”
The head of Russian foreign intelligence, Sergey Naryshkin, confirms he met with the CIA chief in Moscow
Ratcliffe’s trip, which was attempted to be kept secret on Tuesday, was confirmed on Wednesday by Peskov himself, who said that the CIA chief had traveled to Moscow to maintain “contacts between the security services” of both countries. He also denied that he had met with the Russian president.
On Thursday, Sergey Naryshkin, head of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), announced that he personally received the senior American official. Naryshkin described the interview as a “working meeting,” but did not detail the matters discussed.
According to CBS News, Ratcliffe also addressed the issue of the Iran war in Moscow and threatened more sanctions if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened.
Trump described Ratcliffe’s trip as “semi-routine” and did not specify if NATO-related matters were discussed
U.S. President Donald Trump downplayed Ratcliffe’s trip on Wednesday, calling it “semi-routine.” When asked directly if the trip was related to a possible attack against NATO or an attempt to ensure Moscow cooperated with the U.S. against Iran, the president replied: “None of the above.”
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The Axios portal and the Financial Times published that before Ratcliffe’s trip to Moscow, the United States had informed Ukraine that a high-level delegation was going to head to the Russian capital and had asked Kyiv to suspend attacks on the city until the group had left the country.
Previously, the Kremlin had denied that it was planning a national mobilization to reinforce its troops in Ukraine, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had claimed, and described those reports as “media hoaxes.”
And in a comment to Bloomberg, he also said that although Russia will give a “harsh response” to Ukrainian attacks on Russian economic and commercial infrastructure, Moscow does not need a military escalation, as Russian troops continue advancing.
However, in Moscow there is concern that Ukraine continues to receive aid from its Western allies. Russia warned the United Kingdom on Thursday that providing missile technology to Ukraine could have unpredictable consequences, and said London is “playing with fire” by giving Kyiv such sensitive technology.
“We have warned on several occasions that the response to Ukrainian attacks with British weaponry on Russian territory could be any facility or equipment of the United Kingdom in Ukraine or elsewhere,” said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova at a press conference.
Zakharova tells London, Paris, and Berlin that if they transfer weapon components to Ukraine, they are also responsible for attacks on Russia
Last Monday, the United Kingdom announced that it would allow Kyiv access to classified technology of its Storm Shadow missiles, enabling Ukraine to begin producing long-range cruise missiles capable of carrying out attacks inside Russia.
Zakharova denounced a “hostile stance of London towards Moscow,” which could lead to “catastrophic and inevitable consequences,” and urged the British government to “thoroughly analyze the situation and abandon this hostile and aggressive policy.”
She also pointed out that French President Emmanuel Macron “previously announced a similar technology transfer, although he did not have time to implement it (…) We are closely monitoring all these developments,” she added.
“By transferring components directly to Ukraine, France and the United Kingdom seek to absolve themselves of responsibility for the attacks taking place in our country. It will not work. Paris, London, Berlin, and other capitals have direct responsibility for these terrorist attacks,” Zakharova stated.
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