American President Donald Trump told Axios that he has no concerns about whether Russia could provoke a NATO member country.
The publication contacted Trump by phone after a number of media outlets published articles that Russia was preparing to carry out an act of limited aggression against countries in the Alliance. The Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia were mainly mentioned, "Focus" listed.
Speculation also intensified after CIA Director John Ratcliffe's secret visit to Moscow and his talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Naryshkin, Axios writes. Media outlets also claimed that Ratcliffe warned the Kremlin not to carry out such provocations. Trump, however, denied these speculations and denied that such a message was presented by the CIA chief.
"I'm not worried...at all. No problem. They're not going to attack NATO.“ This is how Trump responded to a question from Axios about the possibility of Russian provocations against members of the Alliance. The president described Ratcliffe's visit as "standard business" and expressed his bewilderment at the media reports on the subject, Axios added.
"Ratcliffe sees his Russian counterpart once every six months or once a year. They have a very good relationship. There were no messages and there was nothing unusual", Trump also said.