Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin (Photo: EPA)

The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency has questioned the previous work of intelligence agencies regarding Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election in favor of Donald Trump . This was reported by CNN.

The new report was commissioned by CIA Director John Ratcliffe. It lists shortcomings in the 2017 intelligence assessment that concluded the Russian government, under the direction of dictator Vladimir Putin, conducted a covert influence campaign to promote Trump's candidacy for US president.

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The eight-page document mentions several "anomalies" that the authors believe may have influenced this conclusion, including rushed timelines and reliance on "unsubstantiated information," such as the Democrat-funded report on Trump's ties to Russia, conducted by former British spy Christopher Steele.

The report specifically mentions the inclusion in the intelligence community's assessment of Steele's two-page analysis, which contained "salacious and uncorroborated allegations" about Trump's ties to Russia.

According to the authors of the report, this "elevated unsubstantiated claims to the status of evidence, compromising the analytical integrity of the decision."

At the same time, the TV channel notes that the new CIA report does not directly contradict any previous intelligence data.

"This report doesn't change any of the core evidence – in fact, it doesn't even address any of that evidence," said Brian Taylor, a Russia expert who directs the Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs at Syracuse University.

He suggested that the report may have been intended to bolster Trump's claims that the investigation into his ties to Russia was part of a Democratic Party hoax.

On July 2, it was reported that since Trump's return to the White House in January 2025 , the US has not imposed any new sanctions against Russia in connection with the full-scale war against Ukraine. On the contrary, some restrictions have even been lifted. Because of this, Moscow has been able to purchase prohibited technologies and financing .