US intelligence briefs president says no evidence of drone strike on Russian leader as Moscow threats harden talks while Kyiv strongly denies the allegation
Julian E. Barnes, Eric Schmitt, Tyler Pager
Published 02.01.26
The CIA has determined that Ukraine did not target President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia or one of his residences in an attack this week, according to US officials, rebutting an assertion Putin made in a phone call to President Donald Trump on Monday.
John Ratcliffe, the CIA director, briefed Trump on the finding, a person familiar with the matter said.
Trump has not directly acknowledged the intelligence, but on Wednesday, he posted on social media a link to a New York Post editorial that blamed Putin for standing in the way of a peace deal with Ukraine and cast doubt on the veracity of his claim that he was the target of an attack. On Monday, he had said he was “very angry” about the purported attack when Putin told him about it.
The CIA declined to comment, and the White House referred questions to Trump’s social media post.
Russia had used the claim to threaten to harden its stance in negotiations as thorny issues already appear to be hampering talks to end the war. But it has not presented any clear-cut evidence of the purported drone attack, which it said was aimed at Putin’s residence in the Novgorod region, a rural part of the country.
Instead, the finding by US intelligence officials, which was reported earlier by The Wall Street Journal, aligns with the Ukrainians, who adamantly denied the Russians’ allegations.
In a post on social media, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine called the claim "a complete fabrication intended to justify additional attacks against Ukraine, including Kyiv, as well as Russia’s own refusal to take necessary steps to end the war".
On Monday, even as Trump said he was angry about the purported attack, he conceded that he had no independent confirmation and that it was “possible” it had not happened.
“It’s a delicate period of time,” 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 and Zelensky met at Mar-a-Lago, the President’s private club and residence in Florida. The two leaders appeared upbeat on Sunday after meeting, though they appeared to make little progress on two of the biggest obstacles to lasting peace: security guarantees for Ukraine against future Russian aggression and Russia’s demands for Ukraine to cede significant amounts of territory.
Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy, said on Wednesday that he and other senior administration officials had spoken with Rustem Umerov, a top Ukrainian national security official, and other European national security officials about their efforts to end the war.
“We focused on how to move the discussions forward 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 restart,” he wrote on social media, referring to Trump.
New York Times News Service
Russia hands to US what it says attempted Ukrainian strike on Putin residence
A Russian service member stands next to the remains of a drone, which, according to the Russian Defence Ministry, was downed during the repelling of an alleged Ukrainian attack on the Russian presidential residence in the Novgorod Region, in an unknown location in Russia, in this still image from a video released Dec 31, 2025.
PHOTO: Russian Defence Ministry via Reuters file
PUBLISHED ONJanuary 01, 2026
MOSCOW — A senior Russian military chief handed to a US military attache on Thursday (Jan 1) what he said was part of a Ukrainian drone containing data he said proved that the Ukrainian military this week had targeted a Russian presidential residence.
Moscow accused Kyiv on Monday of trying to strike a residence of President Vladimir Putin in Russia's northern Novgorod region with 91 long-range attack drones. It said Russia would review its negotiating position in ongoing talks with the US on ending the Ukraine war.
Ukraine and Western countries have disputed Russia's account of the alleged attempted strike.
A video posted on the Russian Defence Ministry's Telegram channel showed Admiral Igor Kostyukov, head of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of Russia's Armed Forces, handing to the US attache what he described as the controlling mechanism of a drone found among downed fragments.
"The decryption of the content of the memory of the navigation controller of the drones carried out by specialists of Russia's special services confirms without question that the target of the attack was the complex of buildings of the Russian president's residence in Novgorod region," Kostyukov said.
"We presume that this measure will do away with any questions and allow for the truth to be established."
The Ministry had earlier posted a statement on Telegram saying its findings would be turned over to the United States.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that US national security officials had found Ukraine did not target Putin or one of his residences in a drone strike. Reuters could not immediately verify the report.
US President Donald Trump initially expressed sympathy for the Russian charge, telling reporters on Monday that Putin had informed him of the alleged incident and that he was "very angry" about it.
By Wednesday, Trump appeared more sceptical, sharing on social media a New York Post editorial accusing Russia of blocking peace in Ukraine.
Ukraine has denied carrying out such an attack and described the accusation as part of a Russian disinformation campaign meant to drive a wedge between Kyiv and Washington after a weekend meeting between Trump and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
A Russian service member stands next to the remains of a drone, which, according to the Russian Defence Ministry, was downed during the repelling of an alleged Ukrainian attack on the Russian presidential residence in the Novgorod Region, in an unknown location in Russia, in this still image from a video released Dec 31, 2025.
PHOTO: Russian Defence Ministry via Reuters file
PUBLISHED ONJanuary 01, 2026
MOSCOW — A senior Russian military chief handed to a US military attache on Thursday (Jan 1) what he said was part of a Ukrainian drone containing data he said proved that the Ukrainian military this week had targeted a Russian presidential residence.
Moscow accused Kyiv on Monday of trying to strike a residence of President Vladimir Putin in Russia's northern Novgorod region with 91 long-range attack drones. It said Russia would review its negotiating position in ongoing talks with the US on ending the Ukraine war.
Ukraine and Western countries have disputed Russia's account of the alleged attempted strike.
A video posted on the Russian Defence Ministry's Telegram channel showed Admiral Igor Kostyukov, head of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of Russia's Armed Forces, handing to the US attache what he described as the controlling mechanism of a drone found among downed fragments.
"The decryption of the content of the memory of the navigation controller of the drones carried out by specialists of Russia's special services confirms without question that the target of the attack was the complex of buildings of the Russian president's residence in Novgorod region," Kostyukov said.
"We presume that this measure will do away with any questions and allow for the truth to be established."
The Ministry had earlier posted a statement on Telegram saying its findings would be turned over to the United States.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that US national security officials had found Ukraine did not target Putin or one of his residences in a drone strike. Reuters could not immediately verify the report.
US President Donald Trump initially expressed sympathy for the Russian charge, telling reporters on Monday that Putin had informed him of the alleged incident and that he was "very angry" about it.
By Wednesday, Trump appeared more sceptical, sharing on social media a New York Post editorial accusing Russia of blocking peace in Ukraine.
Ukraine has denied carrying out such an attack and described the accusation as part of a Russian disinformation campaign meant to drive a wedge between Kyiv and Washington after a weekend meeting between Trump and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
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