Fears Putin set to assault Nato as CIA chief visits Russia for top-level talks

Fears Putin could launch a new military offensive have been sparked after the head of the CIA has rushed to Russia for unannounced talks.

Despite the development, Prime Minister Andy Burnham has pledged Britain’s unyielding support for Ukraine in their war against Russian aggression.

CIA chief John Ratcliffe made his first known visit to Moscow for talks with Russian officials on Tuesday.

One of the last known times a CIA chief travelled to Russia was when Mr Ratcliffe’s predecessor William Burns held talks in the months ahead of the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The visit has sparked widespread speculation that it could be pre-empting new military action of some kind by Vladimir Putin.

Asked if Britons should be worried that the talks herald the possibility of attacks by the Russians on the UK, Prime Minister Mr Burnham told broadcasters: “It’s a challenging situation when we look around the world right now.