U.S. national security officials have concluded that Ukraine did not attempt to target Russian President Vladimir Putin or any of his residences in a reported drone operation, contradicting Moscow’s claim that Kiev sought to assassinate the Russian leader, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported.
The assessment is based on a Central Intelligence Agency assessment that found no evidence of any attempt to attack Putin, according to a US official familiar with the intelligence findings. The CIA declined to comment publicly.
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On Monday, Russia accused Ukraine of an attempted attack Residence of President Vladimir Putin and vowed to retaliate, providing no evidence for the claim, which Kiev dismissed as baseless and aimed at derailing the arduous peace talks.
Angry exchanges between the warring neighbors – including Russia’s announcement that it was revising its stance in negotiations in response to the attack – dealt a fresh blow to prospects for peace in UkraineThis was reported by the Reuters agency.
On December 31, Moscow released a video showing a downed drone with a 6 kg explosive charge. While Ukraine denies the drone attack in Moscow, Russia insists the attack came from Kiev.
“The attempt was made on the night of December 28-29,” Russia claims.
What did US intelligence say?
However, U.S. intelligence agencies determined that Ukraine planned to strike a military target located in the same broader region as Putin’s country residence, but not in close proximity to it, the official said, according to the WSJ.
It comes after the EU’s top diplomat called Moscow’s claims that Ukraine had targeted Russian government sites a “deliberate distraction” and an attempt to derail the peace process. Kaji Kallas’ comments on social media appear to be a reference to the Kremlin’s claim that Ukraine attempted a drone strike on one of Vladimir Putin’s residences.
“No one should accept baseless claims from an aggressor who indiscriminately targeted Ukrainian infrastructure and civilians,” Kallas wrote on social media.
US President Donald Trump appeared to dismiss the Russian accusations by sharing a link on Truth Social to a New York Post editorial that questioned whether the strike took place, reposting the headline: “Putin’s ‘strike’ shows Russia is standing in the way of peace.”
The post followed a briefing by CIA Director John Ratcliffe, who briefed Trump on the intelligence review, according to a person familiar with the exchange. US intelligence agencies are monitoring developments in Russia through a range of tools, including satellite imagery, radar coverage and intercepted communications, the WSJ reported.
Read also | Modi, Trump condemn reported attack on Putin’s residence
Trump earlier told reporters he was “very angry” after Putin said during a phone call that Ukrainian drones had targeted his residence, known as Dolgiye Borody, or Long Beard, located along the shores of a lake in northwestern Russia.
The allegation of the attack came shortly after Trump held a nearly three-hour meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, a discussion the US president described as “excellent”, during which he raised the possibility of traveling to Kiev to advance peace efforts.
Citing the alleged drone incident, Moscow warned it could further harden its negotiating position in ongoing peace talks and launched more drone strikes targeting the Odessa port area.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “deeply concerned” by the reported incident, while Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called it a “heinous act”.
