Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski called on Aug. 28 for Poland to accelerate its defense preparations, invoking Vladimir Putin's past assurance that he would not invade Ukraine — a promise Sikorski says Russian intelligence also relayed to CIA Director John Ratcliffe regarding NATO.
The post follows reporting that Ratcliffe secretly traveled to Moscow, reportedly to deliver a grim U.S. assessment of Russia's war prospects and urge a settlement, per the New York Times, while the Wall Street Journal linked the trip to intelligence on Russian conscription and a possible test of NATO resolve. Trump called the visit 'semi-routine.'
Baltic officials in Estonia and Latvia said their assessment of direct attack risk remains unchanged and low following the visit, though they flagged continued vigilance against hybrid attacks and sabotage.
The full dispatch is available from the source below.