The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has concluded that Ukraine did not target Russian President Vladimir Putin or one of his residences in a recent drone strike, U.S. media reported.
Multiple media outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, PBS and CNN, cited unnamed U.S. government officials in reports late Wednesday that refuted the serious accusations made by Moscow earlier this week.
Initially, US President Donald Trump also criticized Ukraine for the alleged attack after speaking with Putin.
Kiev strongly denied attacking a Putin residence, calling it an excuse for Russia to continue its war on Ukraine despite ongoing peace talks and again targeting government buildings in Kiev.
On Wednesday, Russia provided the first possible evidence of the attack, including the remnants of an alleged Ukrainian drone. Many experts doubt that the attack described by Russia happened as claimed.
CIA director briefs Trump on findings
The controversial Ukrainian drone strike targeted military targets in the same area as, but not near, one of Putin’s homes, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing U.S. officials. CIA analysis also supports this, the report said.
Public Broadcasting Corporation (PBS) and CNN reported that Trump received a briefing on intelligence findings from CIA Director John Ratcliffe on Wednesday.
Later in the day, Trump unexpectedly shared a Russia-critical article from the tabloid New York Post on his social media platform, Truth Social.
The New York Post painted Putin as a real obstacle to peace and harshly criticized him in its reporting.
“Any attack on Putin is justified,” said a New York Post article published on Tuesday. “Stop shedding crocodile tears and turn up the heat.”
The article stated, “The answer should not be more concessions, but a bigger stick. Kyiv has done its part. Putin has the responsibility to step up efforts, otherwise he will face tougher sanctions and more lethal weapons in Ukraine.”
Trump frequently disseminates articles from media outlets close to him. In some cases, the President of the United States comments on the text, but that is not the case with this article.
Trump has repeatedly been accused in the past of having close ties to Russia, among other things, as he temporarily adopted a stance friendly to the Kremlin.
According to Russian media reports, the alleged target of the attack was Putin’s official residence in Valdai, located in the Novgorod region between Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Putin is said to often spend weekends there with his family. However, the Kremlin treats his private life as a state secret.
Moscow says Putin’s residence suffered ‘terrorist attack’
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke of an attempted “terrorist attack” on Monday. He mentioned that Russian air defense forces shot down 91 Ukrainian drones with longer ranges.
Putin’s foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov later said Putin had informed Trump of the alleged attack on his presidential residence in the Novgorod region.
Ushakov said the Kremlin hopes Washington will understand that Russia is now reconsidering its position in the negotiations.
Ushakov did not reveal the name of the residence or provide information on whether Putin was present when the attack occurred.
Russia is the largest country in the world, and many places provide residences for the Russian president. Outside Moscow, Putin also makes frequent stops in St. Petersburg and Sochi on the Black Sea.
New Year’s push for peace
In the new year, further talks are already planned to end Russia’s war against Ukraine, which has lasted for almost four years: according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, a meeting of national security advisers of the so-called “coalition of the willing” is scheduled to take place in Ukraine on Saturday.
On Tuesday, a head-of-state-level meeting is expected.
The coalition of the willing refers to Western countries that also support Ukraine militarily.
