Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba says that U.S. intelligence has found no signs of Ukraine's interference in the U.S. elections.
"The end to the myth about 'Ukraine's interference in elections.' The U.S. intelligence community has found no signs of the Ukrainian government's involvement in subversive efforts against the United States," Kuleba wrote on Twitter Wednesday.
"The interference was carried out by Russia, which also sought to have U.S. cut support for Ukraine. Another major fiasco of the Russian Federation," the top diplomat stressed.
In fact, it was Russian President Vladimir Putin who likely directed efforts to try to swing the 2020 U.S. presidential election to Donald Trump, according to the American intelligence report, as per Reuters. Sources said this would likely trigger more U.S. sanctions on Moscow.
Interference in U.S. elections: Background
U.S. intelligence agencies have repeatedly reported interference in the country's elections.
Read alsoUkraine does not interfere in U.S. presidential elections – ZelenskyOn March 15, 2019, the United States imposed sanctions on a number of Russian citizens, including two GRU military intelligence operatives, over meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
On September 30, the United States introduced sanctions targeting the assets of Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, as well as on employees of the Internet Research Agency, notoriously known as the "troll factory," for trying to influence the 2018 midterm elections to the U.S. Congress.
On October 22, 2020, Director of U.S. National Intelligence, John Ratcliffe, announced an attempt by Russia and Iran to interfere in the 2020 presidential election.
On January 11, 2021, the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions against seven individuals and four entities that U.S. authorities believe are part of a Russian-linked network of foreign influence. The U.S. Treasury points out the involvement in this network of the Ukrainian MP Andriy Derkach, whom the U.S. Treasury hit with sanctions on September 10, 2020.
The U.S. Treasury Department named Derkach an "active Russian agent" who directly or indirectly participated in attempts to interfere in the U.S. presidential elections.