Trump: Putin personally assured him NATO territory won't be attacked

US President Donald Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday that he is confident Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attack NATO territory. Asked whether Putin had explicitly committed to this, Trump said he had had good conversations with the Russian leader and that no attack would occur.

When journalists asked Trump to comment on reports that CIA Director John Ratcliffe had issued a warning to Russian officials, the president declined to address it directly, but again reiterated his confidence that there would be no attack.

Cautious stance on Russia-Iran trade

Trump also softened his tone on the need to punish Russia over its trade ties with its ally Iran. His administration had previously declared a so-called "economic D-Day" against Tehran should it refuse to open the Strait of Hormuz. However, Trump acknowledged that Russia has so far acted reasonably well regarding the situation around the strait.

CIA director's warning in Moscow

Alongside Trump's remarks, Politico reported on Wednesday, citing two informed sources, that CIA Director John Ratcliffe warned Russian officials during a visit to Moscow against escalating conflict with NATO, particularly with Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. One of the sources said the main purpose of Ratcliffe's visit was to warn against escalating actions toward the Baltic states.