US ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker has said it’s ‘unclear’ whether Ukraine attacked Vladimir Putin’s residence as Moscow has claimed.
The remarks came as Moscow vowed retaliation for what it called a ‘terrorist act’
But Whitaker said he wanted to see US intelligence on the incident.
“It is unclear whether it actually happened,” Whitaker told Fox Business’ Varney & Co chat show in an interview about the alleged incident which Ukraine has denied.
“It seems to me a little indelicate to be this close at a peace deal, Ukraine really wanting to get a peace deal done, and then to do something that would be viewed as reckless or not helpful,” he said.
Russia said on Monday that Ukraine had attacked a presidential residence in the Novgorod region with 91 long-range attack drones. It said it would retaliate and that its negotiating stance would toughen in the talks.
Ukraine called Russia’s accusations “lies” aimed at justifying more attacks on Ukraine and Kiev’s foreign minister said that Russia had not provided any evidence “because there’s none”.
The Kremlin said on Tuesday it considered the alleged attack to be a “terrorist act” and a “personal attack against Putin”.
But it also said it could not provide evidence for its claim as the drones were “all shot down”.
It added that the Russian Army had chosen “how, when and where” to retaliate against Ukraine.
“We’re going to get to the bottom of the intelligence. And for me, the most important thing is what the United States and our allies’ intelligence services say about whether or not this attack actually happened,” Whitaker said.
Zelensky said earlier on Tuesday: “This alleged ‘residence strike’ story is 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. Typical Russian lies”.
The Kremlin’s allegation comes at a pivotal moment for diplomacy to end the war.
Ukraine has said it has agreed to 90 per cent of a US-drafted peace plan but Russia has been hesitant to accept a deal that does not meet its maximalist demands.
