The Biden administration denied reports Friday that U.S. intelligence assisted the Ukrainian armed forces in killing Russian generals and sinking the country's warships, including the flagship Moskva, the Washington Examiner reported.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki rejected the validity of the news aboard Air Force One, as President Joe Biden's team travels to Ohio for a speech in support of the Bipartisan Innovation Act.
"Let me first say, to speak to the reports, they're inaccurate," Psaki told reporters. "We did not provide Ukraine with specific targeting information for the Moskva. We were not involved in the Ukrainians' decision to strike the ship."
Psaki further claimed that Ukraine used its own intelligence capabilities to track Russian vessels, arguing the U.S. did not have sufficient knowledge of the region to carry out the attacks.
However, the press secretary did admit the U.S. is providing "a range of intelligence to help them understand the threat posed by Russian ships in the Black Sea and to help them prepare to defend themselves against potential sea-based assaults."
"But they take our intelligence, and they combine that with what they have access to," Psaki stipulated. "In this specific report, it's just not an accurate depiction of how this happened."
The news comes a day after Pentagon spokesman John Kirby denied the story, which originated from an article by The New York Times on Wednesday alleging U.S. intelligence given to Ukraine is responsible for the deaths of up to 12 Russian generals.
U.S. officials also reportedly told NBC News that the U.S. provided the location of Moskva to Ukrainian forces, leading them to sink the ship with two Neptune missiles on April 14.
"We do not provide intelligence on the location of senior military leaders on the battlefield or participate in the targeting decisions of the Ukrainian military," Kirby said on Thursday.
Following the reports, the Kremlin said it is aware the West has been providing intelligence to the Ukrainian military and that this would not stop Russia from achieving its objectives, according to The Guardian.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.