The USA's Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director John Ratcliffe's unannounced visit to Russia this week has sparked a wave of speculation about the content of the meeting he held with Russian officials.

U.S. media reported on Thursday that it focused on warning Russia against attacking NATO allies and the war in Iran. Sources told the outlet Politico that the "meeting was primarily to warn Russia against any escalatory action against the Baltic states."

The last time a CIA director visited Russia was late 2021, three months before Russia invaded Ukraine, to warn Moscow not to do so.

On Thursday morning, the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement saying "Estonia's threat assessment has not changed."

"Throughout Russia's aggression against Ukraine, United States officials have met regularly with Russian representatives, so the CIA director's visit should not be regarded as pivotal," Tsahkna was quoted as saying.

He added that Estonia is in close contact with all its Allies, including the United States: "We exchange information and work to ensure that Russia understands NATO's unity and resolve in defending its territory."

The minister added that it is in the interests of Estonia and NATO as a whole that Russia does not miscalculate when it comes to NATO's collective defense.

"The more clearly the Allies make it understood in Moscow that NATO's collective defense remains rock-solid, the better," he added.

He said NATO Allies have "taken significant steps" in recent years to strengthen collective defense.

"The best deterrent is a united and strong NATO and the clear understanding in Moscow that the Alliance is prepared to defend every inch of Allied territory," the minister added.

Prime minister: Europe must be vigilant about hybrid attacks

Prime Minister Kristen Michal (Reform) also commented on the speculation at the government's weekly press conference on Thursday.

"We were aware of the visit, and I understand that a great deal of speculation can arise from it; someone could perhaps even make a film about it. But for Estonia, for the Baltic states, the threat level has not changed," he told the assembled media.

"But our relations with partner services, including, for example, those in America, are very good, and the partner services certainly exchange this information, but certainly not through the public," Michal added.

The prime minister said Moscow understands that it would lose if it attacked NATO and European countries. "So Estonia's threat level, the threat level of the Baltic states, has not changed," he repeated.

The prime minister also stressed that vigilance is required regarding Russia's hybrid activities. He described them as a major and persistent problem and threat.

"Therefore, all European countries must certainly remain vigilant about internal security, because these incidents by no means necessarily take place in the Baltic states, and all European countries must also be prepared to continuously strengthen their defence capabilities, because until Russia changes its objectives, it remains a persistent and acute threat to all NATO and European Union countries," he repeated.

In recent days, drones and suspected explosives were found at Leipzig/Halle Airport and Slovak police stopped an arson attack on a Ukrainian drone manufacturer's plant in Slovakia. Threats have also been made against UK drone factories supplying UAVs to Ukraine. A social media campaign aiming to create tensions between Poland and the Czech Republic also has similarities to a Russian hybrid campaign, experts said.

Former president: Baltic smokescreen

Former President Toomas Hendrik Ilves (2006-2016) doubted the reports as they were based on anonymous sources. He also doubted the reported focus of the meetings.

"If we look at what the United States' big problem is right now, it is Iran, where the Russians have been very active and are providing intelligence to Iran. If the CIA director flies to Moscow for the first time in more than five years, then it would seem that concern about Iran is the more logical explanation. The threat assessment for the Baltic states has not changed!" Ilves told ERR's radio news.

Ilves pointed out that on Thursday and Friday, U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby is meeting with the NATO secretary general and ambassadors of the member states, and conclusions can also be drawn from that meeting.

If the United States is now concerned about European security, it would represent a major change in the current administration's policy to date, he said. But Ilves suggested the mention of the Baltic states was a smokescreen.

"Elbridge Colby has been very hostile towards Europe for several years. If he comes to NATO to speak and continues with the same rhetoric, then we know that the United States' concern is actually somewhere else. Because if you take such an extraordinary step as having the CIA director fly to Moscow for the first time in a long time, and the previous time it was to warn against starting a war in Ukraine, then this should mean that U.S. policy towards Europe is changing completely compared with the policy of the past year and a half, which has been very hostile towards Europe, saying that we are not interested in Europe right now. The alternative is that the U.S. government does not want to say that, yes, we went to Moscow because we are so concerned about Iran, because the war in Iran is going badly. So what do we say? Ah, let's say those Baltic states over there, they are the problem, because that has been in the news a lot," Ilves said.

Asked why journalists publish such stories, Ilves replied that the media writes such stories because they are exciting and generate clicks, while at the same time the issue is sufficiently distant and does not directly affect their audience.

This article was updated to add comments from Kristen Michal and Toomas Hendrik Ilves.

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