The New York Times reports that CIA Director John Ratcliffe, during a secret trip to Moscow, told Russian officials privately that Russia's war effort in Ukraine looks bleak.
US President Trump, European Union officials and Russia's foreign ministry have all played down fears that Russia might attack NATO, the military alliance of the US, Canada and European countries.
This month brought three signs that deterrence — the idea that attacking a country will cost more than it's worth — is weakening.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe made a secret trip to Moscow, reportedly the first by a sitting CIA chief since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
The US Defense Department is preparing choices for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on how many American troops should stay in Europe, due by November 6.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe made a secret trip to Moscow that had already been reported, but new reporting from US news outlets says what he actually told the Russians: don't attack NATO countries, especially the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and don't help Iran.
In one week, four separate incidents added to a pattern of suspected Russian hybrid warfare against European countries.
Hungary's government has for the first time officially called Russia a threat to Hungary, Europe and the world, a sharp turn from Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's long pro-Moscow stance, Politico reported.
The European Union is preparing what would be its largest sanctions package against Russia since the country's full invasion of Ukraine, according to the news outlet Seznam Zprávy.
Latvia's prime minister said Russia is waging outright war against the West, pointing to a pattern of provocations across Europe.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Moscow on Tuesday, according to two US media outlets, in what would be his first known visit to Russia since becoming America's top spy chief.
German police are checking whether a weapons stash found in a Bavarian forest has ties to Russia.