Vladimir Putin "will not attack NATO countries." US President Donald Trump said this while speaking in the Oval Office. "I had a good conversation with him," the US president told reporters.
Even in a phone interview with Axios, Trump said he is not worried that Russia will attack NATO countries.
European leaders have been extremely concerned and have publicly warned that Moscow could test NATO's resolve - and Trump's commitment to Article 5, the alliance's collective defense clause - through a limited attack or other military provocations.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe made a secret trip to Moscow on Tuesday and met with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Naryshkin.
Some media outlets reported that the visit was an attempt to warn Moscow not to attack a NATO country.
But Trump disputed these reports, telling Axios that Ratcliffe gave no such warning.
"I'm not worried... at all. No problem," Trump said when asked about a possible Russian provocation against NATO countries.
The president called Ratcliffe's trip "standard business" and expressed surprise at media reports about it.
"Ratcliffe meets with his Russian counterpart once every six months or once a year. They have a very good relationship. There was no message and there was nothing unusual," Trump said.
Speaking to reporters two hours later, Trump was asked again whether the US gave Russian President Vladimir Putin a warning about possible attacks on NATO countries.
Trump said he did not want to comment, but added: "They will not attack NATO territory."
Naryshkin, the director of Russia's foreign intelligence service, confirmed on Thursday that he met with Ratcliffe during his visit to Moscow.
He said the talks were “a regular part of their work” and that “there was nothing extraordinary.” Naryshkin said he discussed “intelligence matters” with Ratcliffe.
In recent weeks, Russian drones that entered the airspace of several NATO members, including Romania and Poland, were shot down.
On Thursday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said the United Kingdom and France are "playing with fire" by supplying technology that enables Ukraine to carry out long-range attacks deep inside Russia.
A Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman threatened to attack British military targets inside and outside Ukraine in retaliation for the United Kingdom's military aid to Ukraine.