CIA director’s Moscow visit aimed to ease regional tensions, Lithuania says

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda linked John Ratcliffe’s unusual trip to concerns over Russian hybrid attacks in Europe.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s visit to Moscow on Tuesday was likely intended to ease tensions in the region, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said, according to Bloomberg.

Nauseda said Lithuania expected to receive a briefing from its partners on the meetings, possibly the following week, but he declined to discuss their purpose in detail.

The trip followed warnings from intelligence officials that Russian security services were considering hybrid operations against the Baltic states and Poland, including infrastructure sabotage and false-flag attacks.

Europe has faced a series of incidents involving armed-drone incursions, attempted assassinations and suspected arson that officials believe may be intended to intimidate Ukraine’s main suppliers of weapons and financial support.

The CIA said it had no comment on the meetings. Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics also declined to discuss a stopover by Ratcliffe’s plane in Riga, saying US and Latvian intelligence agencies continue to work closely together.

Rinkevics said the security situation remained dynamic, but officials were preparing for potential threats.

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