Trump: I'm Not Afraid Russia Will Attack a NATO Country

US President Donald Trump said he is not concerned about a possible Russian attack on any NATO member state, responding to a question about potential Russian provocations against the alliance. He made the comments in an interview with Axios.

"I'm not worried, not at all. It's not a problem," Trump said. According to him, Russia will not attack NATO territory.

CIA Director's Visit to Moscow

Trump also commented on CIA Director John Ratcliffe's trip to Moscow, calling it "standard practice" and expressing puzzlement over how the news was covered by the press. "Ratcliffe meets with his Russian counterpart once every six months or once a year. They have a very good relationship. There was nothing special or unusual about this news," the American president said.

The meeting was also confirmed by the head of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service, Sergei Naryshkin. He said such talks are "a regular part of their work" and "nothing out of the ordinary." Naryshkin specified that the discussions with Ratcliffe covered "intelligence-related matters."

Europe's Concerns Persist

European countries have long feared possible Russian aggression, and these concerns have only grown following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The greatest anxiety centers on the security of the Baltic states — Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania — as well as Poland, since these nations share direct borders with Russia and are considered the most vulnerable.

In response to public sentiment, European countries are taking concrete steps: raising defense budgets to the mandatory two percent of GDP or higher and modernizing their armed forces. NATO, for its part, has deployed thousands of troops and heavy equipment closer to the Russian border to deter a potential aggressor.

Source: novinky.cz