{"id":55596,"date":"2026-08-26T12:17:15","date_gmt":"2026-08-26T12:17:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/russia\/55596\/"},"modified":"2026-08-26T12:17:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T12:17:15","slug":"cia-chiefs-secret-trip-to-moscow-shows-putins-threat-to-nato-is-deadly-serious","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/russia\/55596\/","title":{"rendered":"CIA chief’s secret trip to Moscow shows Putin\u2019s threat to Nato is deadly serious"},"content":{"rendered":"

An unannounced and unexplained one-day visit to Moscow by CIA director John Ratcliffe<\/a> has raised concerns over whether Russia is gearing up to test Nato<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Reports that Vladimir Putin<\/a> cancelled participation in a major event on the same day, and shortly afterwards issued three secret decrees<\/a>, have added to the speculation.<\/p>\n

Neither Russia or the US have made any official comment. However, various theories have been put forward for why Ratcliffe felt he needed not only to have a private conversation with Russia that was both sensitive and important enough for a rare face-to-face meeting, but also to keep it off any official agenda.<\/p>\n

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Why nicotine vapes are still best chance to quit smoking<\/p>\n

Smokers are more likely to quit their habit by using vapes compared to conventional methods such as nicotine gum and patches, according to a new study.<\/p>\n

\"VapeCaption: Vape shop selling vaping products on 8th April 2026 in London, United Kingdom. Vaping is often seen as a safe or safer alternative to smoking. It is also relatively new to the market, only hitting the mainstream over the past decade or so. Prefilled pod kits have now got around the ban on the disposable non-rechargeable devices that typically come ready-filled with e-liquid. Recently there has been much debate in terms of public health in particular concerning the availability of vape products to children especially disposable vapes. (photo by Mike Kemp\/In Pictures via Getty Images)
Photographer: Mike Kemp
Provider: In Pictures via Getty Images
Source: In Pictures
Copyright: Mike Kemp<\/p>\n

\nQuit rates are higher\n<\/p>\n

The Cochrane Review examined 80 studies involving almost 30,000 people and found that quit rates were higher with vape use, with it leading to 61 per cent increased odds that a quit attempt would be successful after six months.<\/p>\n

\"nicotineCaption: nicotine patch, chewin gum and ecigarette used for smoking cessation isolated on white background
Photographer: pixinoo
Provider: Getty Images
Source: iStockphoto
Copyright: Morad HEGUI<\/p>\n

That means that eight to 10 out of 100 people using vaping to quite smoking might succeed compared to six of 100 people using nicotine-replacement therapy.<\/p>\n

Providing vapes can help<\/p>\n

\"ManCaption: Man smokes an electronic cigarette in town .
Photographer: kiszon pascal
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Moment RF<\/p>\n

Researchers looked at behavioural support \u2013 offered through advice and counselling \u2013 and found that people who were also given nicotine vapes were more likely to quit.<\/p>\n

The expert view<\/p>\n

We have very strong evidence that regulated nicotine e-cigarettes are substantially less harmful than smoking. Based on the consistency of the findings here, it\u2019s clear that they are a proven and viable option for people wishing to quit cigarettes<\/p>\n

Dr Jamie Hartmann-Boyce, senior author of the review from University of Massachusetts Amherst<\/p>\n

\"ACaption: A man sits outside and holds a slim menthol cigarette between his fingers. Close-up with focus on the cigarette.
Photographer: Catherine Falls Commercial
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Moment RF<\/p>\n

\"Close-upCaption: Close-up of a healthcare worker hands giving injection on the arm of female in the clinic. Doctor giving flu shot to a woman in the medical clinic.
Photographer: Luis Alvarez
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Digital Vision<\/p>\n

news<\/p>\n

How shingles jab \u2018could slash heart risks\u2019<\/p>\n

The shingles vaccine currently used by the NHS may slash the risk of heart failure, heart disease and stroke, according to a new study.<\/p>\n

What you need to know<\/p>\n

Shingles is a viral infection that causes a painful rash and the jab that protects against it \u2013 Shingrix \u2013 is available on the NHS for people aged 65-70, people aged 70-79 (as part of a catch-up program) and for those over 18 with a severely weakened immune system.<\/p>\n

Experts say that if all over-60s had the jab, it could prevent tens of thousands of deaths.<\/p>\n

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Newsletter (\u00a3)<\/p>\n

4 min read<\/p>\n

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4 min read<\/p>\n

\nThe study\n<\/p>\n

The NHS switched to Shingrix from the former vaccine, Zostavax, three years ago. Researchers from the University of Oxford compared the risk of stroke, ischemic heart disease or heart failure between the two vaccines over seven years.<\/p>\n

\"ConceptualCaption: Conceptual image of a gloved hand holding a syringe. Space for copy.
Photographer: IMAGINESTOCK
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Moment RF<\/p>\n

They analysed data from more than 70,000 people and found that up to seven years after the jab, people who had Shingrix lived 9 per cent longer without developing a cardiovascular disease.<\/p>\n

\"TwoIt is more and more common for younger children to wear glasses, but why? (Photo: MoMo Productions\/Getty Images\/Digital Vision)<\/p>\n

more on health from the i paper<\/p>\n

Children\u2019s eyesight is getting worse. This is what parents can do about it<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

Clare Wilson<\/p>\n

Science Writer<\/p>\n

The rise in short-sightedness is not directly caused by too much screen time, but a related change in children\u2019s behaviour. Fortunately it can be reversed.<\/p>\n

news<\/p>\n

Dolly Parton \u2013 a life in pictures<\/p>\n

\"UNITEDCaption: UNITED KINGDOM: American singer, songwriter and actress Dolly Parton, performs with a guitar, 1976. (Photo by David Redfern\/Redferns)
Photographer: David Redfern
Provider: Redferns
Source: Redferns<\/p>\n

Dolly Parton died on Tuesday at the age of 80. Tributes from around the world have honoured the country music superstar, who passed away following a \u201cbrief battle with cancer\u201d.<\/p>\n

The singer was best known for her genre-defining hits including \u201c9 To 5\u201d, \u201cI Will Always Love You\u201d and \u201cJolene\u201d.<\/p>\n

\nBorn into a musical family in 1946\n<\/p>\n

Dolly Rebecca Parton was born in 1946, the fourth of 12 children, into a poor farming family who lived in a one-bedroom cabin in Tennessee.<\/p>\n

\"TENNESSEECaption: TENNESSEE \u2013 CIRCA 1955: Country singer Dolly Parton poses for a portrait in circa 1955 in Tennessee. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images)
Photographer: Michael Ochs Archives
Source: Michael Ochs Archives<\/p>\n

\"NASHVILLECaption: NASHVILLE \u2013 1965: Country singer Dolly Parton poses for a portrait in 1965 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images)
Photographer: Michael Ochs Archives
Source: Michael Ochs Archives<\/p>\n

Her father, Robert Lee Parton, was a tobacco farmer. Parton spoke about her mother, Avie Lee, singing folk songs all the time, and her aunt played the guitar.<\/p>\n

Country star\u2019s unique style<\/p>\n

During her teens, Parton began modelling herself on a local character known as the \u201ctown tramp\u201d. <\/p>\n

The lady wore bright red nail polish, low-cut tops and high heels \u2013 young Dolly thought she was beautiful.<\/p>\n

\"AmericanCaption: American singer-songwriter, actress, and businesswoman Dolly Parton (1946 \u2013 2026), poses for a studio portrait in Lake Tahoe, California, December 31, 1989. (Photo by Ron Davis\/Getty Images)
Photographer: Ron Davis
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Archive Photos<\/p>\n

\"CountryCaption: Country Singer Dolly Parton attends A Night at The Races charity fundraiser at Hollywood Park Race Track to benefit childrens Cancer, November 14, 1984 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Bob Riha, Jr.\/Getty Images)
Photographer: Bob Riha Jr
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Archive Photos
Copyright: Bob Riha Jr.<\/p>\n

\nA musical powerhouse\n<\/p>\n

Despite being unable to read sheet music, Parton was proficient on several instruments including the banjo, harp, piano and saxophone. She had her first No 1 hit with the song \u201cJoshua\u201d in 1971.<\/p>\n

\"FILECaption: FILE \u2013 Dolly Parton performs on NBC\u2019s \u201cToday\u201d show in New York on May 13, 2014. (Photo by Charles Sykes\/Invision\/AP, File)
Photographer: Charles Sykes
Provider: AP Photo\/Charles Sykes
Source: Invision<\/p>\n

It was the theme song that Parton wrote for the 1980 movie 9 to 5 that fully propelled her to stardom.<\/p>\n

A nearly 60-year marriage<\/p>\n

Parton\u00a0maintained a deeply committed, nearly 60-year marriage to\u00a0Carl Dean\u00a0until his death in 2025. \u201cCarl and I spent many wonderful years together. Words can\u2019t do justice to the love we shared,\u201d Parton said when he died. <\/p>\n

Dean remained out of the public eye, choosing to focus on his asphalt-paving business in Nashville. The couple had no children.<\/p>\n

\"(FILES)Parton performs on the Pyramid Stage on the final day of Glastonbury Festival 2014 (Photo: AFP)<\/p>\n

\"CountryCaption: Country singer Dolly Parton, circa 1970. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images)
Photographer: Michael Ochs Archives
Source: Michael Ochs Archives<\/p>\n

Parton\u2019s life in pictures<\/p>\n

\"HANNAHCaption: HANNAH MONTANA \u2013 \u201cI Will Always Loathe You\u201d \u2013 Miley is being awarded Female Artist of the Year and has invited the two most influential women in her life to be there when she accepts it. The only problem is that these women -?? Mamaw and Aunt Dolly \u2013 have been feuding for years and can\u2019t stand each other. It\u2019s up to Miley to show them how ridiculous they look always bickering with each other, on \u201cHannah Montana,\u201d FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7 (8:00 p.m., ET\/PT) on Disney Channel. (Photo by Joel Warren\/Disney Channel via Getty Images) MILEY CYRUS, DOLLY PARTON \u2013 BEHIND THE SCENES
Photographer: Joel Warren
Provider: Disney Channel via Getty Images
Source: Disney General Entertainment Con
Copyright: ?2007 DISNEY CHANNEL. All rights reserved. NO ARCHIVING. NO RESALE.<\/p>\n

\"FILECaption: FILE PHOTO: 11TH Annual ACM Honors ??? Show ??? Nashville, Tennessee, U.S., 23\/08\/2017 \u2013 Dolly Parton accepts the Gary Haber Lifting Lives Award. REUTERS\/Harrison McClary TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY\/File Photo
Photographer: Harrison McClary
Provider: REUTERS
Source: REUTERS<\/p>\n

\"FILECaption: FILE \u2013 Singer and Actress Dolly Parton shown at a party following the premiere of her movie \u2018Nine to Five\u2019 in Los Angeles, Dec. 12, 1980. (AP Photo\/Harms, File)
Photographer: Harms
Provider: AP Photo\/Harms
Source: AP<\/p>\n

\"AmbulancesCaption: Ambulances are parked outside a mortuary following a deadly fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) hospital in Islamabad, Pakistan, August 26, 2026. REUTERS\/Akhtar Soomro
Photographer: Akhtar Soomro
Provider: REUTERS
Source: REUTERS<\/p>\n

world news<\/p>\n

At least 15 newborn babies die in Islamabad hospital fire<\/p>\n

At least 15 infants were killed when a fire broke out \u200bat a state-run hospital in Pakistan\u2019s capital Islamabad, \u200ctriggered by a fault in air conditioning systems, local broadcaster Geo TV reported.<\/p>\n

Here is everything we know about the incident so far.<\/p>\n

What happened?<\/p>\n

The blaze started at around 7am local time on Wednesday at the Pakistan Institute of \u200bMedical Sciences on the third floor of \u2060the mother and child health ward.<\/p>\n

The incident is among the deadliest hospital fires \u200bin recent years in the country, where government healthcare is subsidised but facilities are overburdened.<\/p>\n

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2 min read<\/p>\n

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Explained<\/p>\n

4 min read<\/p>\n

The story in pictures<\/p>\n

\"Javeria,Caption: Javeria, mother of a newborn victim, is consoled following a deadly fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) hospital in Islamabad, Pakistan, August 26, 2026. REUTERS\/Akhtar Soomro
Photographer: Akhtar Soomro
Provider: REUTERS
Source: REUTERS<\/p>\n

\"MembersCaption: Members of Anti-Terrorist Squad move past a fire engine following a deadly fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) hospital in Islamabad, Pakistan, August 26, 2026. REUTERS\/Akhtar Soomro
Photographer: Akhtar Soomro
Provider: REUTERS
Source: REUTERS<\/p>\n

\"ACaption: A woman carrying an infant moves past police officers as she leaves a ward following a deadly fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) hospital in Islamabad, Pakistan, August 26, 2026. REUTERS\/Akhtar Soomro
Photographer: Akhtar Soomro
Provider: REUTERS
Source: REUTERS<\/p>\n

\nA closer look at the detail\n<\/p>\n

There were 16 \u200bnewborns in the ward when the fire broke out, one \u200cof \u2060whom was rescued, Geo reported.<\/p>\n

Prime minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed authorities to conduct an immediate investigation, his office said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose responsible should be identified, and the \u200bstrictest action should \u200bbe taken,\u201d \u2060Sharif\u2019s office said.<\/p>\n

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One suggestion is that he might have delivered a warning over Russia\u2019s continued escalation<\/a> of hostile acts against Nato countries, including sabotage, electronic warfare and drone attacks<\/a>. The last visit of this kind came in November 2021, when then CIA director Bill Burns travelled to Moscow to try to persuade Putin not to proceed with the full-scale invasion of Ukraine<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But it is hard to be optimistic on this front. Burns failed in part because the US administration of the time, under Joe Biden, was unwilling to confront Russia for fear of nuclear escalation. The current administration, for different reasons, is even less willing<\/a>. The likelihood of the US doing anything to confront Russia is even more remote now than it was then.<\/p>\n

The talks may have been focused on Ukraine, including a possible halt to strikes on the energy infrastructure<\/a> of both countries \u2013 another explanation that could perhaps lead to a positive outcome.<\/p>\n

At the pessimistic end of the scale, there is he possibility that this could have been a private conversation clarifying the rules of the new relationship between the United States and Russia under Trump, over the heads of the European states that will be affected by it. As I detail in my forthcoming book, American Overthrow<\/a>, that relationship is highly dangerous for allies and partners of the US, given the sympathy the Trump administration has shown for Moscow\u2019s aspirations in Ukraine and beyond.<\/p>\n

Other suggested explanations include talks over prisoner exchanges<\/a>. The CIA and Ratcliffe personally have been directly involved in negotiating the release of American citizens held in Russia. But that hasn\u2019t previously required his personal attendance in Moscow, and if his aircraft brought back any additional passengers, we have not yet been told about it.<\/p>\n

Iran is another possible topic of the conversation: whether trying to persuade Russia to join the US campaign to isolate <\/a>T<\/a>ehran economically<\/a>, or perhaps to ask it to stop providing information to Iran to assist in the targeting of US assets and personnel in the Gulf region. In either of those cases, it\u2019s hard to see how the US might hope to cajole Putin into doing something against Russia\u2019s interests.<\/p>\n

While we don\u2019t yet know what the visit was about, there is plenty to be learned from the way it was conducted.<\/p>\n

\"AA C-17 Globemaster, believed to be carrying CIA director John Ratcliffe, lands near Riga, Latvia, on Tuesday (Photo: @Alfredspodins via X\/via Reuters)<\/p>\n

The shifting power balance between the US, Ukraine and Russia was highlighted by an American request to Ukraine to suspend strikes on Moscow for the duration of the visit. Ukraine agreed.<\/p>\n

On the one hand, that\u2019s a demonstration that the US has no confidence in Russia\u2019s air defences<\/a>. It also shows how, in effect, the visit proceeded with Ukraine\u2019s permission. But it\u2019s also the opposite of what happened just a few days previously, when US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner cancelled a planned visit to Kyiv because of Russia\u2019s continuing drone and missile strikes.<\/p>\n

That reveals that, in contrast with the request to Ukraine, the US felt unable to ask Russia to suspend its campaign for long enough for the pair to visit \u2013 or alternatively, the US did ask, and was rebuffed by Russian officials who felt no need to offer Washington any favours.<\/p>\n

The apparent attempts to keep the visit confidential only add to suspicion around its purpose. Rather than an official announcement, it was flight movements and an unexpected American motorcade being filmed in Moscow that alerted the world \u2013 while Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov continued to deny that anything was happening or that any meetings with American officials had been planned.<\/p>\n

It seems unlikely that either the US or Russia genuinely believed that the visit could be kept secret. But that leaves open the question of what all the secrecy was for. It\u2019s not felt to be necessary, for instance, around the forthcoming long-planned visit of FBI director Kash Patel<\/a> to Russia in October.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard not to see the official silence as an indication that of all the possible reasons for Ratcliffe\u2019s visit, the real one is toward the pessimistic end of the scale: that the US is discussing something with its Russian partners that would be bad news if Europe found out about it. Unless and until a plausible alternative explanation emerges, European countries have every reason to be alarmed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"An unannounced and unexplained one-day visit to Moscow by CIA director John Ratcliffe has raised concerns over whether…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":55597,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[5387,20,26,340,5,213,355,21],"class_list":["post-55596","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-moscow","tag-cia","tag-donald-trump","tag-moscow","tag-nato","tag-russia","tag-russia-ukraine-war","tag-usa","tag-vladimir-putin"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/russia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55596","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/russia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/russia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/russia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/russia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55596"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/russia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55596\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/russia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55597"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/russia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55596"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/russia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55596"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/russia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55596"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}