According to American officials, the CIA assesses that Ukraine did not target a residence used by Russian President Vladimir Putin in a recent drone attack. This assessment directly contradicts the claim that Putin reportedly conveyed to Donald Trump during their phone conversation. According to sources cited by CNN, CIA Director John Ratcliffe briefed Trump on Wednesday, clarifying that, according to US intelligence services, there is no evidence confirming such an attack occurred or that the presidential residence was targeted.
Moscow had publicly accused Ukraine of attempting to strike Putin’s residence, a claim Trump mentioned to reporters, saying the Russian president had personally conveyed it to him. At the time, the American president had stated the information bothered him, appearing to accept it despite strong denials from Kyiv.
“I don’t like it. It’s not good,” Trump had characteristically said, adding that he felt “very angry” when he heard the claim. He had also acknowledged it was “possible” the allegation might not hold up, but added that “President Putin told me this morning that it happened.”
The Truth Social post featuring a New York Post opinion piece titled “Putin’s bluff”
After the CIA director’s briefing, Trump appeared to adopt a more cautious stance. On Wednesday, he posted on Truth Social a link to a New York Post opinion piece titled “Putin’s ‘attack’ bluff shows Russia is what’s blocking peace.” In the article, the newspaper’s editorial board called it “hypocritical” that Putin, after nearly four years of war, appeared outraged about alleged violence near him, while emphasizing there was no evidence the attack ever happened. It also reminded readers that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had categorically denied the claim and that the Kremlin admitted it could not provide evidence.
The revelation of the American assessment, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, comes during a period of intense diplomatic contacts led by Trump and his envoys to end the war in Ukraine. Putin made the claim one day after the Trump-Zelensky meeting at Mar-a-Lago, from which the American president had expressed cautious optimism about progress toward a peace agreement.
Some European officials believe the attack allegation may have been Putin’s attempt to undermine peace initiatives without directly confronting Trump. European diplomacy chief Kaja Kallas moved along similar lines, characterizing the claim as a “deliberate distraction.”
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed on Wednesday that a total of 91 drones were launched from northern Ukraine toward Putin’s residence near Valdai, in the Novgorod region. According to Moscow, more than half were shot down hundreds of kilometers away, while the remainder were neutralized over the Novgorod area in the early morning hours of Monday. The ministry also released a map purportedly showing the drones’ trajectory and interception points, without however presenting independently verifiable evidence.
