The CIA has rejected Moscow’s claim that Ukraine tried to attack the Russian president Vladimir Putin‘s residence earlier this week. U.S. officials said CIA Director John Ratcliffe briefed the president Donald Trump for assessment on Wednesday.Russia publicly accused Ukraine on Monday of trying to attack Putin’s home, and Trump told reporters that Putin had mentioned it to him in a phone call. Trump said he was disturbed by the claim and initially appeared to accept it, even though Ukraine strongly denied any involvement.
“I don’t like it. It’s not good,” Trump said, adding that he was “very angry” when he learned of the alleged attack.Russia used the accusation to warn that it could take a tougher position in peace talks, even though it has not provided clear evidence of the alleged drone strike. Moscow claimed the target was Putin’s residence in the Novgorod region, a rural area.But the US intelligence assessment is consistent with Ukraine’s position. In a social media post, President Volodymyr Zelensky called Russia’s claim “a complete fabrication designed to justify further attacks against Ukraine, including Kiev, as well as Russia’s own refusal to take the necessary steps to end the war.”Although Trump said Monday he was upset about the reported attack, he acknowledged he had no confirmation and said it was “possible” it never happened.“It’s a delicate time,” he said. “This is not the time. It’s one thing to be offensive because they’re offensive. It’s another thing to attack your home.”This episode occurred shortly after Trump hosted his Ukrainian counterpart Zelensky at his private Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. Although they made positive comments after the meeting, they made little progress on important issues such as security guarantees for Ukraine and Russia’s demand for Ukraine to cede territory.Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said Wednesday that he and other senior officials had spoken with Rustem Umerov and several European national security officials about efforts to end the war.“We have focused on how to advance discussions on behalf of the @POTUS peace process in practical ways, including strengthening security guarantees and developing effective conflict management mechanisms to help end the war and ensure it does not break out again,” he wrote on social media.
