Trump: I'm Not Concerned About Putin's Attack On NATO

• 27.08.2026, 21:42

The U.S. president denied reports that John Ratcliffe had warned the Kremlin during his visit to Russia.

U.S. President Donald Trump, in an interview with Axios stated that he is not concerned about the possibility of a Russian attack on NATO countries. “It doesn’t concern me at all. There’s no problem,” he said, responding to a question about a possible Russian provocation against the alliance.

At the same time, he denied media reports that CIA Director John Ratcliffe, during his visit to Moscow on August 25, had warned the Kremlin that such actions were unacceptable. “Ratcliffe meets with his Russian counterpart every six months or once a year. They have a very good relationship. There were no such reports, and nothing unusual happened,” Trump said, describing the CIA director’s trip as “routine business.”

As Axios notes, Trump’s statements came amid growing concern among European countries, which fear that Moscow may attempt to test NATO’s resolve and Washington’s commitment to Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which guarantees collective defense.

According to sources cited by The Wall Street Journal, U.S. intelligence is considering a scenario in which Vladimir Putin, following the Duma elections might escalate tensions with the West, including a “limited attack” on one of the alliance’s member states—for example, a cyberattack or a small-scale ground incursion into the Baltic states.

According to Politico, in addition to discussing the situation surrounding NATO, the CIA director also warned Putin against providing military and economic support to Iran.