Ukraine drone plot against Putin: US intelligence rejects Russian claim – What the CIA says – The Times of India

The CIA has rejected Moscow’s claim that Ukraine tried to attack Russian President Vladimir Putin’s home earlier this week. U.S. officials said CIA Director John Ratcliffe briefed President Donald Trump on the assessment on Wednesday.Russia had publicly accused Ukraine on Monday of trying to attack Putin’s home, and Trump told reporters that Putin had said this to him during a phone call. Trump said he was concerned about the allegation and initially appeared to accept it, even as Ukraine strongly denied any involvement.

“I don’t like it. It’s not right,” Trump said, adding that he was “very angry” when he heard about the alleged attack.Russia used the accusation to warn it could take a tougher stance 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 community’s assessment is consistent with Ukraine’s position. In a post on social media, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Russia’s claim “a complete fabrication intended to justify additional attacks on Ukraine, including Kiev, as well as Russia’s own refusal to take the necessary steps to end the war.”Although Trump said he was angry about the reported attack, he admitted Monday he had no confirmation and said it was “possible” it never happened.“It is a delicate period,” he says. “This is not the time. It’s one thing to be offensive because they’re being offensive. It’s another to attack his house.”The episode came shortly after Trump hosted Ukrainian counterpart Zelenskyy at his private Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. Although they appeared positive after the meeting, they made little progress on key issues such as security guarantees for Ukraine and Russia’s demand that Ukraine cede territory.Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, said Wednesday that he and other senior officials have spoken with Rustem Umerov and several European national security officials about efforts to end the war.“We focused on how to advance discussions in a practical way on behalf of @POTUS’ peace process, including strengthening security guarantees and developing effective deconfliction mechanisms to help end the war and ensure it does not flare up again,” he wrote on social media.