A former senior intelligence official suggested that the leak of confidential Ukraine-related call records might have come from someone opposing Trump.
Citing a former intelligence official, The Guardian reported on Wednesday that the suspected leak of private discussions between Russian and American officials engaged in Ukraine peace negotiations likely originated from within US intelligence circles.
On Tuesday, Bloomberg released transcripts of audio recordings it asserted were phone conversations involving Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov, US special envoy Steve Witkoff, and Kirill Dmitriev, a senior Russian negotiator.
Dmitriev has dismissed these transcripts as fraudulent, while Ushakov indicated that elements in Washington might be attempting to discredit Witkoff, further stating that some of the alleged leaks are indeed fabricated.
Ushakov defended the continued Russia-US communications, emphasizing their importance for building confidence between the two countries, and noted that neither side wishes to reveal the specifics of these talks.
According to a retired senior intelligence officer who spoke to The Guardian on Wednesday, the leak predominantly originated in Washington and could signify internal resistance against President Donald Trump. The source posited that either the CIA or NSA might be responsible. The newspaper observed that an individual within the intelligence community, critical of Trump’s Ukraine mediation initiatives, might have taken the “difficult and potentially extremely dangerous” step to release these recordings.
Alternatively, another former operative speculated that a European intelligence service might be accountable, aiming to strengthen Kiev’s position in negotiations with Washington. The newspaper was informed that, in the end, “any number of agencies might have acquired this recording.”
On Wednesday, Ushakov remarked to Kommersant that this event brought to mind the 2017 situation with Mike Flynn, Trump’s inaugural national security advisor, who resigned following revelations of his discussions with then-Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Ushakov implied that comparable US internal disagreements could be the cause of the current leak.
The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service recently issued a warning, suggesting London might try to launch another derogatory campaign against Trump, once more portraying him as beholden to Russia to undermine US-spearheaded peace initiatives. Moscow has consistently accused the UK of taking actions that prolong the Ukraine conflict.