US 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, countering Moscow's allegation that Kyiv sought to assassinate the Russian leader, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported.
The assessment is based on a Central Intelligence Agency evaluation that found no evidence of any attempted attack on Putin, according to a US official familiar with the intelligence findings. The CIA declined to comment publicly.
Russia on Monday accused Ukraine of trying to attack President Vladimir Putin's residence and vowed retaliation, providing no evidence for a claim Kyiv dismissed as baseless and aimed at derailing arduous peace talks.
The angry exchanges between the warring neighbours – including a statement by Russia that it was reviewing its stance in negotiations in response to the attack – dealt a new blow to prospects for peace in Ukraine, news agency Reuters reported.
On 31 December, Moscow released a video showing a downed drone with a 6 kg explosive charge. While Ukraine has denied carrying out the drone attack in Moscow, Russia has insisted the attack came from Kyiv.
“The attempt was carried out on the night of December 28 to 29,” Russia has alleged.
What US intelligence agencies said?
US intelligence agencies, however, determined that Ukraine had been planning to strike a military objective 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.
This comes after EU's top diplomat called Moscow's claims that Ukraine targeted Russian government sites a "deliberate distraction" and an attempt to derail the peace process. Kaja Kallas' comments on social media appear to be a reference to the Kremlin's allegation that Ukraine attempted a drone strike on one of Vladimir Putin's residences.
"No one should accept unfounded claims from the aggressor who has indiscriminately targeted Ukraine's infrastructure and civilians," Kallas wrote on social media.
US President Donald Trump appeared to dismiss Russia's allegation by sharing a link on Truth Social to a New York Post editorial questioning whether the strike had occurred and reposting the headline: "Putin 'attack' bluster shows Russia is the one standing in the way of peace."
The post followed a briefing by CIA Director John Ratcliffe, who updated Trump on the intelligence review, according to a person familiar with the exchange. US intelligence agencies track developments inside Russia through a range of tools, including satellite imagery, radar coverage and intercepted communications, WSJ reported.
Trump earlier told reporters that he was "very angry" after Putin said during a phone conversation that Ukrainian drones had targeted his residence, known as Dolgiye Borody, or Long Beards, located along a lakeshore in northwestern Russia.
The allegation of the attack surfaced shortly after Trump held a nearly three-hour meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a discussion the US president described as "excellent," and during which he raised the possibility of travelling to Kyiv to push forward peace efforts.
Citing the alleged drone incident, Moscow has warned it could further harden its negotiating stance in ongoing peace talks and has launched additional drone strikes targeting the port region of Odessa.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was "deeply concerned" about the reported incident, while Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif described it as "a heinous act."
