The US secretly spied on Ukrainian President Zelensky

According to CNN, a source close to Zelensky was not surprised by the situation, saying it was "expected". It should be noted that Ukrainian officials were extremely disappointed by the leak. According to the TV channel, a US intelligence report based on electronic intelligence data said that President Zelensky in late February "proposed to attack Russian military deployments in the Rostov region" with drones, because Ukraine does not have long-range weapons capable of reaching such a range. According to CNN, the intelligence obtained could explain why the US has made public statements about its unwillingness to supply long-range weapons to Ukraine, due to concerns that Kiev would use them to attack targets inside the Russian Federation.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Photo: AP

In another development, according to the Washington Post, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin may have ordered US pilots not to fly near the Crimean peninsula. The Washington Post said there is a map showing the areas where spy planes can fly. The borders on the map are drawn about 19 km from the Crimean coast. Earlier, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a video conference with a group of experts that the US did not actively urge Ukraine to reclaim Crimea, but only Kiev made the decision on this. Blinken said that Ukraine's attempt to reclaim Crimea would be a "red line" for Russian President Vladimir Putin, which could cause Moscow to respond more strongly. In addition, US Army Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Davis affirmed that President Zelensky's plan to launch a counterattack to seize Crimea would only lead to the exhaustion and complete collapse of Ukraine's armed forces./.