CIA finds 'Ukrainian drone' wasn't targeting Putin's residence
What's the story
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has reportedly concluded that Ukraine was not aiming for a residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin in a recent drone strike. United States officials said the assessment contradicts claims made by Putin to President Donald Trump during a phone call on Monday. The CIA director, John Ratcliffe, briefed Trump on the findings on Wednesday, CNN reported.
Presidential reaction
Trump expresses concern over alleged attack on Putin's residence
Initially, Trump seemed to believe Putin's claims of an attack on his residence. He said he was "very angry" and described the action as "not good." However, he also admitted that it was "possible" the allegation was false. To support their claim, the Kremlin had released a video showing a damaged drone lying in snow in a forested area. The defense ministry said the attack was "targeted, carefully planned and carried out in stages."
Assessment impact
CIA's assessment challenges Russia's claims of drone attack
The CIA's assessment comes as Trump and his envoys are working to broker peace in Ukraine. The timing of Putin's allegation, a day after Trump's meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Mar-a-Lago, has led some European officials to suspect it was an attempt to derail peace efforts without implicating Trump. The European Union's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said that it was a "deliberate distraction."
Ukraine
Ukraine denies claimÂ
Ukraine has denied carrying out such an attack, branding it as a Russian disinformation effort aimed at dividing Kyiv and Washington following a warm and fruitful meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy. Ukraine circulated a detailed briefing paper to European Union delegates on Tuesday, alleging that Russian claims were intended to "sabotage" agreements made during Trump and Zelenskyy's meeting in South Florida.
Defense response
Moscow defense ministry claims interception of drones
The Moscow defense ministry claimed that 91 drones were launched from northern Ukraine toward Putin's residence near Valdai in northwestern Russia. They said over half were intercepted several hundred kilometers away but didn't explain how they knew these drones were headed for Valdai. The rest were reportedly shot down over Novgorod between 3:00am and 8:30am local time on Monday.