US Senator Hopes CIA Chief Warned Putin Against Escalation During Moscow Visit
US Senator Richard Blumenthal said he hopes CIA Director John Ratcliffe delivered a warning to Putin against escalation during his recent Moscow visit. He stressed the US would get involved if Russia pursued major escalation.
US Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, co-author of a bill on sanctions against Russia, commented in Kyiv on CIA Director John Ratcliffe's recent visit to Moscow.
Responding to reporters, the senator said he had not received any classified information or intelligence about the trip. However, drawing on his general familiarity with intelligence regarding Putin and Ukraine, he said he hopes Ratcliffe conveyed a warning against escalation — essentially telling Putin to abandon any such plans, as there would be consequences.
Warning of consequences
Blumenthal stressed that the Kremlin leader should understand that the United States would become involved if Russia carried out the kind of escalation Putin might be considering. He said he genuinely hopes the message delivered was clear: don't do it, forget about it, and there would be no chance to act with impunity.
Background of the visit
CBS was the first to report on Ratcliffe's trip. The news emerged after a US Air Force Boeing C-17A Globemaster III transport plane, along with a convoy of American diplomats, was spotted at a Moscow airport.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the CIA director traveled to Moscow because the American side had gathered intelligence on Russia's early preparations for a possible military mobilization. Sources also said Washington had asked Kyiv to temporarily refrain from striking Moscow and St. Petersburg during the visit.
US President Donald Trump has said he believes something "may come out of" Ratcliffe's visit to Moscow.
