@jolyonCIA Chief Ratcliffe traveled to Moscow with two urgent demands: keep Russia away from the Baltics and stop arming Iran. Two people familiar with the discussions say his primary message warned against escalatory action toward Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. He also pressed Moscow to cut military and economic support for Iran, according to a source and a U.K. official. The British official stated that Ratcliffe urged Russia to halt the sharing of weapons and defense technology with Tehran. He further advised against overreacting to new sanctions. Reports indicate Russia has shipped material to bolster Iran's drone arsenal and may be assisting in targeting American facilities in the Middle East. Trump described the trip as "semi-routine" and said he would "like to see the Ukraine war end." Ratcliffe's C-17 flew in from Latvia, one of the nations central to the talks. The last CIA director to fly to Moscow with a similar warning was Bill Burns in late 2021, who told Putin not to invade Ukraine. Russia crossed the border three months later anyway. Source: Politico, The Wall Street Journal / Writer: Daniel.

@jolyonCIA Chief Ratcliffe traveled to Moscow with two urgent demands: keep Russia away from the Baltics and stop arming Iran. Two people familiar with the discussions say his primary message warned against escalatory action toward Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. He also pressed Moscow to cut military and economic support for Iran, according to a source and a U.K. official. The British official stated that Ratcliffe urged Russia to halt the sharing of weapons and defense technology with Tehran. He further advised against overreacting to new sanctions. Reports indicate Russia has shipped material to bolster Iran's drone arsenal and may be assisting in targeting American facilities in the Middle East. Trump described the trip as "semi-routine" and said he would "like to see the Ukraine war end." Ratcliffe's C-17 flew in from Latvia, one of the nations central to the talks. The last CIA director to fly to Moscow with a similar warning was Bill Burns in late 2021, who told Putin not to invade Ukraine. Russia crossed the border three months later anyway. Source: Politico, The Wall Street Journal / Writer: Daniel.