CIA backs Ukraine, rejects Russia’s claim of drone attack on Putin’s home

The CIA has rejected Moscow’s claim that Ukraine attempted to attack the residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this week.

Also Read: PM Modi ‘deeply concerned’ over alleged Ukranian drone attack on Putin’s residence

US officials said CIA Director John Ratcliffe briefed President Donald Trump on the intelligence assessment on Wednesday (December 31).

Ukraine accused of targeting Putin

Russia had publicly accused Ukraine of attempting to strike Putin’s home on Monday, a claim Trump said Putin mentioned to him during a phone call.

Trump told reporters he was disturbed by the allegation and initially appeared to give it some credence, despite strong denials from Ukraine.

“I don’t like it. It’s not good,” Trump said, adding that he was “very angry” when he heard about the alleged attack.

Zelenskyy calls Russia's claim a 'fabrication'

Moscow has used the accusation to warn that it could adopt a tougher stance in peace talks, even though it has not presented clear evidence of the purported drone strike.

Russian officials claimed the intended target was Putin’s residence in the Novgorod region, a rural area. However, the US intelligence assessment aligns with Ukraine’s position.

Also Read: Russia launches missile and drone attack on Kyiv, killing one ahead of US-Ukraine talks

In a social media post, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described Russia’s claim as “a complete fabrication intended to justify further attacks on Ukraine, including Kyiv, as well as Russia’s refusal to take the necessary steps to end the war”.

US backs Ukraine

Trump later acknowledged that he had no confirmation of the reported incident and said it was “possible” it never occurred.

“It’s a delicate period,” he said. “This is not the right time. It’s one thing to be offensive because they’re offensive. It’s another thing to attack his house.”

The episode came shortly after Trump hosted Zelenskyy at his private Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.

While both leaders struck a positive tone after the meeting, little progress was made on key issues, including security guarantees for Ukraine and Russia’s demand that Kyiv cede territory.

Talks on ending war

Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, said on Wednesday that he and other senior officials had spoken with Ukraine’s Defence Minister Rustem Umerov and several European national security officials on efforts to end the war.

Also Read: Trump meets Zelenskyy; says Ukraine, Russia are ‘closer than ever’ to peace

“We focused on how to move the discussions forward in a practical manner as part of the White House peace process, including strengthening security guarantees and developing effective deconfliction mechanisms to help end the war and ensure it does not resume,” he said in a social media post.