China Warned Putin Against Nuclear Use in Ukraine, CIA Chief Visits Moscow

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and senior European officials have confirmed that Beijing delivered a direct message to Moscow, instructing Russia not to even consider detonating tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine. Both China and India have separately warned Russian President Vladimir Putin against crossing that line.
The warnings come after Russia concluded that peace negotiations with Ukraine have reached a dead end. While Moscow has, for now, set aside any nuclear option, it is considering intensifying powerful conventional ballistic missile strikes on Kyiv and other infrastructure targets across Ukrainian cities. Tactical nuclear weapons are short-range nuclear arms designed for limited battlefield use rather than targeting full cities or countries. Though smaller than strategic weapons, they carry immense destructive power and can contaminate large stretches of land with nuclear fallout. Bloomberg, citing people close to the Kremlin, had reported that Putin could consider such weapons as a last resort. On the battlefield front, Ukraine has significantly expanded its long-range drone campaign deeper into Russian territory, targeting major e-commerce warehouses alongside oil refineries in an effort to weaken Russia's wartime economy. Since Ukraine receives weapons and intelligence from NATO member countries, Russia now increasingly views Ukrainian strikes as direct attacks by NATO states.
Putin brushed aside the impact of Western sanctions on Russia's economy and said Ukraine had opened what he called "Pandora's box", warning the country to "be ready to get a blowback" on its most critical economic sectors. In a significant diplomatic development, CIA Director John Ratcliffe travelled to Moscow this week to warn Russia against testing the resolve of NATO by attacking any alliance member. The Wall Street Journal reported that US intelligence agencies have assessed that Putin could consider a limited military operation against a NATO member in the coming years. Officials believe possible options range from a cyberattack to a small ground incursion, rather than a full-scale assault.
However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed on Wednesday that Ratcliffe's meetings in Moscow were with Russian intelligence officials, not with Putin directly, though the Russian president was briefed on the discussions.  Peskov dismissed reports of a possible Russian strike on a NATO member as speculation, saying: “A lot of such scare stories are being published right now. Of course, they have nothing to do with reality.”
Ratcliffe's visit is the latest in a series of high-level contacts between the United States and Russia.