CIA director's surprise Moscow trip linked to Baltic states and Iran

US media outlets reported Thursday that CIA Director John Ratcliffe's unannounced visit to Russia this week focused on the Baltic states and the war in Iran. Politico, citing sources, said the meeting was primarily meant to warn Russia against any escalatory action against the Baltic states. The Wall Street Journal published a similar account.

Spokespeople for the Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian embassies in Washington declined to comment, according to Politico. Ratcliffe also reportedly used the trip to press Russia to scale back its military and economic support for Iran.

Because no details about the meeting's content were released and the trip was not announced in advance, a wave of speculation has followed. The last time a CIA director visited Russia was in late 2021, three months before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, to warn Moscow against attacking its neighbor — fueling comparisons to the current situation.

Latvia: threat level not comparable to 2021/2022

Ratcliffe's plane also landed in Latvia during the trip, which some have interpreted as a signal. Latvia's Chief of Defense Kaspars Pudāns said Wednesday that, based on available information, there is currently no basis for drawing parallels with the military threat level seen before Russia's invasion of Ukraine in late 2021/early 2022. He declined to comment on the reasons for the CIA chief's visit, saying he had no information and did not want to speculate, adding that the trip was coordinated with Latvia only regarding the use of its airspace.

Pudāns rejected suggestions that there were signs of Russian plans to act against NATO countries, saying that if such signs existed, he would be mobilizing forces rather than speaking to media. He agreed, however, that Russia is conducting hybrid attacks against Western countries to weaken allied support for Ukraine, seen as a way for Moscow to extract itself from a costly war it fears it can no longer justify to its own public.

Lithuania: we were informed

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda confirmed Wednesday that he had been informed about Ratcliffe's visit to Moscow but declined to discuss its substance, saying that was a matter for the parties involved. He said Lithuania had been told further details about the meeting's purpose and content would be shared soon, likely next week. Nausėda said he believed the meeting was intended to help ease geopolitical tensions in the region.