This week, John Ratcliffe, the Director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), made a surprise visit to Russia, which was reported by the Washington Post on the 27th, citing two sources. The visit was influenced by Russia's analysis that U.S. military power has been weakened due to the ongoing conflict in Iran over the past six months. Concerned that Russia might escalate its offensive against Ukraine and NATO, the U.S. took preemptive measures.
According to reports, during his visit to Russia on the 25th, Ratcliffe warned the Russian government that an offensive against Ukraine would backfire. He indicated that if Russian President Vladimir Putin were to intensify military actions in Ukraine, it could lead President Donald Trump to support Ukraine more strongly, as relayed by one source.
The source further explained that Ratcliffe's visit was not primarily due to Putin being cornered by failures on the Ukrainian front, but rather because Russian assessments suggested that the U.S. might be unable to intervene in the Ukraine conflict due to dwindling military resources. U.S. intelligence assessments indicate that President Putin believes the U.S. military's overall strength has diminished due to the impact of the Iran conflict on combat readiness and the stock levels of advanced weapons like Patriot missiles.
Previously, the Wall Street Journal reported on the 6th that U.S. intelligence agencies assessed that President Putin might provoke NATO member states to test the alliance's collective defense resolve.
Recently, reports have emerged of fatigue among the crew of the USS Abraham Lincoln, a carrier deployed for extended operations in the Middle East. Additionally, the U.S. military has reportedly depleted a significant number of Patriot missiles to support allied air defense systems in the region, leading to dangerously low stocks in Europe and Asia. Furthermore, the U.S. has already used about a quarter of its Reaper drones, which cost between $30 million and $50 million each, according to the Washington Post.
Amid these developments, Ukraine has been experiencing increased damage from Russian attacks as its stock of air defense weapons provided by the U.S. has dwindled. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been appealing to countries worldwide, including South Korea, for additional air defense support.
Ratcliffe's visit to Russia marks the first by a CIA director since William Burns visited in November 2021 during the Biden administration and the first since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. However, the Kremlin acknowledged Ratcliffe's visit but stated that there were no discussions with President Putin. Sergey Naryshkin, head of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), also confirmed the conversation with Ratcliffe but noted that 'nothing special' occurred.
According to the New York Times, Ratcliffe reportedly conveyed to Alexander Bortnikov, head of the Federal Security Service (FSB), that it would be better to seek a ceasefire before the situation in Russia worsens.
Meanwhile, CNN reported that President Trump, speaking to reporters at the White House, expressed reluctance to comment on Ratcliffe's visit but stated, 'They (Russia) will not attack (NATO).'
* This article has been translated by AI.
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