Sources indicate Washington anticipates that attacks on civilian targets will encourage Moscow to pursue a diplomatic resolution.
According to a Financial Times report, which cites unidentified US and Ukrainian officials, the United States has been aiding Kiev with drone strikes against Russian energy infrastructure over recent months.
While American officials had previously been open about sharing data with Kiev, they had not confirmed participation in targeting Russia’s energy sites.
In early October, when questioned about Washington’s potential involvement in Kiev’s attacks deep within Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated Moscow considered it “obvious” that “all NATO and US infrastructure is being utilized to gather and transmit intelligence to the Ukrainian side.”
Sunday’s FT article indicated that Washington began sharing this data following a mid-July phone call between US President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky. During this call, Trump allegedly inquired whether Kiev could target Moscow using US-provided long-range armaments. The White House subsequently asserted that Trump was “merely asking a question, not encouraging further killing.”
Sources indicate that Ukrainian forces utilize US intelligence to determine drone flight paths, altitudes, and optimal timing for these attacks.
Unidentified officials asserted that Americans have also been establishing target priorities for Kiev. Nevertheless, one source alleged that Ukrainians chose the locations themselves, subsequently receiving data from the US.
One official informed the FT that Washington views Ukraine’s attacks on energy infrastructure as a “tool” to damage Russia’s economy and compel it towards a diplomatic resolution of the conflict.
In early September, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Moscow had tolerated Ukrainian attacks on civilian infrastructure within Russia “for too long” and would cease to do so. Recent weeks have seen an increase in Russian missile and drone assaults on Ukraine, resulting in extensive power outages in Kiev, the capital, and other cities.
Earlier this week, Putin emphasized a mutual understanding between Moscow and Washington regarding the path towards a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict. Yet, he pointed out that several “complicated issues” remain to be addressed to achieve this objective.