Biden is furious about the leaks saying US intelligence helped Ukraine kill Russian generals and sink its warship, report says

• Multiple reports claimed last week that US intelligence has helped Ukraine target Russian forces.
• Biden is livid over the reports and has reprimanded defense officials, The New York Times reported.

President Joe Biden was furious about leaks that said US intelligence helped Ukraine kill Russian generals and sink its warship, report says, The New York Times reported on Monday.

A senior administration official told The Times that after the reports of US involvement in the attacks emerged, Biden reprimanded several top defense officials, including Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III, the Director of National Intelligence Avril D. Haines, and CIA director William J. Burns.

Biden was concerned that the reports would further provoke Russian President Vladimir Putin, The Times reported.

Several media outlets reported last week that the US handed crucial information to Ukrainian forces that allowed them to attack and sink one of Russia's most prominent warships, the Moskva, on April 14.

Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby denied the reports, telling CNN in a statement that the US had no prior knowledge of Ukraine's intent to target the ship.

Another report by the Times, also published last week, found that US intelligence was also pivotal in the deaths of several Russian generals.

Kirby also pushed back on this report, telling reporters that the US does "not provide intelligence on the location of senior military leaders on the battlefield."

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Monday that Biden "was displeased with the leaks."

"His view is that it was an overstatement of our role — an inaccurate statement — and also an understatement of the Ukrainians' role and their leadership. And he did not feel they were constructive," she added.

Experts told The Times that while the US has stepped up its involvement in the Ukraine war, Biden has still been careful not to provoke Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"There's this constant balancing act the administration has been trying to strike between supporting Ukraine and making sure it can defend itself militarily and at the same time being very concerned about escalation," Alina Polyakova, the president of the Center for European Policy Analysis, told The Times.

The US has declined Ukrainian requests to send troops into the country, opting instead to send Ukrainian forces and a generous stream of military aid.

Since the start of Russia's invasion on February 24, the US has sent around $3.8 billion worth of arms and equipment to Ukraine, the White House said last week.