US President says Russian counterpart "will not attack" NATO countries

Washington, Aug 27 (KUNA) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, “will not attack” the territory of NATO member states, following intelligence reports indicating an increasing likelihood that Moscow is preparing to launch attacks on NATO territory. In response to a question from reporters at the White House, President Trump said, “No. Russia will not do that,” declining to comment further on those reports. U.S. media had reported that CIA Director John Ratcliffe visited the Russian capital, Moscow, this week to warn Russia against launching any attack on NATO members, aiming to test the alliance’s readiness to defend one of its members. It is worth noting that Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed to Russian news agencies that Ratcliffe had visited Moscow to hold talks “between security agencies,” while adding that President Putin did not meet with Ratcliffe. (End) A.M.M. / M.A.A.