CIA sends Putin chilling message as fears grow of horror Russian attack on NATO

For context, the US fears Vladimir Putin is preparing to order an attack on NATO allies (Image: Getty).

What happened

CIA Director John Ratcliffe's surprise visit to Moscow was to warn Russia against attacking NATO, sources remarked. The US spy chief is remarked to have informed Kremlin authorities not to escalate conflict with the alliance, in particular Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

Meanwhile, the Baltic states have long been viewed as the NATO countries most at risk from Russian aggression. American intelligence has previously cautioned Russia could be planning an attack on NATO territory to test the alliance's resolve. Reports suggest Mr Ratcliffe cautioned Russia against launching any action in response to its war in Ukraine which is making little progress.

The bottom line

In short, CIA sends Putin chilling message as fears grow of horror Russian attack is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.