- Multiple reports last week claimed US intelligence helped Ukraine attack Russian forces.
- Biden is furious at the reports and has scolded defense officials, the New York Times reported.
- Biden is concerned the reports will further provoke Putin, the Times said.
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President Joe Biden was furious over leaks that US intelligence agencies helped Ukraine kill Russian generals and sink their warship, the report said, the New York Times reported on Monday.
A senior administration official told The Times that after reports of US involvement in the attacks emerged, Biden reprimanded several senior defense officials, including Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III, Director of National Intelligence Avril D. Haines and CIA director William J Burns.
Biden is concerned the reports will further provoke Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Times reported.
Several media outlets reported last week that the US had provided Ukrainian forces with vital information that enabled them to capture one of Russia’s most famous warships, the Moskva, on April 14.
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby denied the reports and told CNN in a statement that the US had no prior knowledge of Ukraine’s intention to attack the ship.
Another Times report, also published last week, found that US intelligence was also implicated in the deaths of several Russian generals.
Kirby also denied that report, telling reporters that the US “is not providing information on the whereabouts of senior military leaders on the battlefield.”
White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Monday that Biden was “unhappy with the leaks.”
“His view is that it was an overstatement of our role – an inaccurate statement – and also an understatement of the role of Ukrainians and their leadership. And he didn’t think they were constructive,” she added.
Experts told The Times that while the US had stepped up its involvement in the Ukraine war, Biden was still careful not to provoke Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“There’s this constant balancing act that the government has been trying to do between supporting Ukraine and ensuring it can defend itself militarily, while at the same time being very concerned about escalation,” said Alina Polyakova, president of the Center for European Policy Analysis The times.
The US has rejected Ukrainian requests to send troops to the country, opting instead for the deployment of Ukrainian forces and a generous flow of military aid.
Since the Russian invasion began on Feb. 24, the US has sent around $3.8 billion worth of arms and equipment to Ukraine, the White House said last week.