New Delhi, Aug. 28 -- any Russian military action against NATO's Baltic members would be treated as an attack on the entire alliance.

John Ratcliffe, who has led the CIA since the Trump administration took office in January 2025, made the unannounced trip without informing most of the White House senior staff, according to multiple people briefed on the mission. Some of the president's closest advisers did not know the visit had occurred until it was reported by The Wall Street Journal and then confirmed by other news organizations. The visit's existence has since been acknowledged by senior officials.

The central message Ratcliffe carried was blunt: a Russian strike on Estonia, Latvia, or Lithuania - NATO members that share borders wit...