Vladimir Putin has met with his henchman from Belarus Alexander Lukashenko amid growing fears of an attack on Nato and an urgent ‘warning’ flight to Moscow by the director of the CIA.

The Russian and Belarusian presidents were to meet today and were expected to discuss their ‘common problem’ of Ukraine.

The crunch talks came after weeks of concerns about a possible attack on Nato by the Kremlin which is thought may have prompted CIA boss John Ratcliffe’s sudden flight to Moscow this week.

It was reported last month that Mr Putin was plotting an armed incursion into Poland in a bid to scare the western alliance into dropping its fervent support for Ukraine, some four years on from Russia’s illegal invasion.

Yesterday Lukashenko and Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin met in Moscow, with the Belarusian president promising to discuss the conflict, Turkish media reported.

‘Looking ahead, today we’ll also discuss our common problem, which we’re facing in southern Belarus and western Russia. It’s a real problem, but we’ll solve it, no matter how much some people might want it,’ he said.

Lukashenko and Putin are expected to discuss Ukraine further during their summit on Saturday.

The in-person meet-up comes just days after a sudden trip by Mr Ratcliffe to the Russian capital this week.

Vladimir Putin (right) has met with his henchman from Belarus Alexander Lukashenko (left) amid growing fears of an attack on Nato

The Russian and Belarussian presidents were to meet today and were expected to discuss their ‘common problem’ of Ukraine

An American jet landed in the city on Tuesday, sparking frenzied speculation about who was on board.

The jet left Riga, Latvia, at around 8.50am Moscow time (1.50am ET, 6.50am BST) and landed just outside the Russian capital approximately 74 minutes later.

The flight’s arrival was highly unusual given the current tensions between Washington and Moscow.

Both the Kremlin and the CIA declined to comment on the visit, but it is understood to be the first such trip to Russia for Mr Ratcliffe since his appointment.

The journey sparked alarm in the West as commentators drew parallels between it and the previous warning trip to Moscow by then-CIA director William Burns in November 2021.

It is the last publicly known director-level visit to the country and took place as the US warned Russia against invading Ukraine.

This time, the trip comes amid escalating tensions around fears of an attack on Nato, thought to be centred around Poland.

A Russian missile entered Polish airspace and crashed in July, prompting Warsaw and the bloc to activate air and ground defenses and scramble aircraft.

Nato chief Mark Rutte called the episode ‘another reckless act by Russia’ and a dangerous consequence of its war against Ukraine.

It followed previous Russian airspace violations that have fueled fears in Warsaw that Moscow is testing the bloc’s defenses and willingness to respond.

It comes after CIA director John Ratcliffe (pictured) flew out to Russia earlier this week

The US aircraft, flying under the call sign RCH4555, left the NATO country at around 8.50am Moscow time (1.50am ET, 6.50am BST) and landed in the Russian capital roughly 74 minutes later

Sources close to Polish President Karol Nawrocki told news outlet Onet that the US had been warning Warsaw about the plan for a while.

Russia’s plan aims to start a crisis to scare Western nations into stopping their support for Ukraine.

Polish security experts also warned that Russia and Belarus might send a small number of troops across the Nato border.

Power stations could also be targeted in the incursion, through air strikes that would force Poland to activate its air defence systems.

According to Polish sources cited by Onet, Russia could frame a territorial incursion as either a GPS navigation error or an emergency helicopter recovery.

Moscow’s strategy relies on the assumption that the US would compel Poland to negotiate rather than engage militarily.

According to sources, a ground-based attack could come from Kaliningrad – which borders northern Poland – or from Belarus to the east. 

The warnings come as reports today suggest Putin is considering a last-ditch attempt to gain overt military supremacy in Ukraine.

He is said to be considering enlisting 300,000 new troops to plough into Russia’s ‘meat-grinder’ frontline against Ukrainian soldiers, as well as increasing sabotage tactics against Nato.

This could include an expansion of electronic warfare such as attacks on GPS signals, Russian military specialist Keir Giles told the Sun.