U.S. finds Ukraine did not try to kill Putin in alleged drone strike, source says

A CIA assessment concluded that Ukraine did not try to kill Russian President Vladimir Putin at his country residence as alleged by the Kremlin, a source with knowledge of the matter told NBC News

A CIA assessment concluded that Ukraine did not try to kill Russian President Vladimir Putin at his country residence as alleged by the Kremlin, a source with knowledge of the matter told NBC News.

Ukraine had been aiming to hit a military target in the same region as the Russian president’s country residence, the source said.

The director of the CIA, John Ratcliffe, briefed President Donald Trump on the issue earlier Wednesday. Afterward, Trump posted a link to a New York Post editorial that said Ukraine had been falsely accused of attacking Putin with the headline “Putin ‘attack’ bluster shows Russia is the one standing in the way of peace.”

The Wall Street Journal first reported on the assessment and the briefing of the president.

The CIA declined to comment.