President Joe Biden adjusts his microphone during a meeting with the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology in the State Dining Room of the White House, Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in Washington. A White House official downplayed a report Wednesday that US Special Forces are in Ukraine by saying a small military presence in Kiev to protect the embassy. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS
SALT LAKE CITY — More information is being learned about the leaked intelligence documents that have a lot of sensitive information regarding the war in Ukraine, and US Special Forces.
Kellie Meyer, NewsNation Washington Correspondent, joined KSL at Night with hosts Maura Carabello and Taylor Morgan to discuss new revelations that American Special Forces may have been on the ground.
“There’s some really serious potential outcomes with national security with our relationships,” Morgan said. “And not just with enemies, but with our allies. And Ukraine is at the top of that list.”
Carabello begins the conversation with Meyer by asking, “What do you know that’s new about these leaks?”
Meyer specifically mentions in the report that there are special forces on the ground in Ukraine.
“So with that coming out,” she said. “Not only the US and other allies, the U.K. the Netherlands, France, Latvia all saying in this report that these Western countries have special forces on the ground in Ukraine.”
Meyer says many of the countries responded to the report on Wednesday. A White House official said there is a small military presence in Kiev at the US Embassy.
“That provides embassy security services and accountability for the weapons getting sent there,” Meyer said. “They are making sure that it’s know that there are no combat forces on the ground.”
In order to prevent a World War, President Biden said that U.S. troops would not be directly involved with the war.
Meyer said the Ukraine Defense Minister has also said any NATO troops on the ground outside of protecting the embassy is not true.
“So it’s definitely again with these documents just raising more concern,” Meyer said.
Additionally, Meyer says no media organization has been able to confirm the authenticity of what is contained in the leaked documents.
Morgan said, “We periodically historically have intentionally released some intelligence documents, seemingly to remind our allies that we spy on everyone. Is there any indication or suspicion that some of this could be intentional?”
“We don’t know yet,” Meyer said. “We talked with actually the Pentagon spokesperson today. And they say they are still trying to access the full scope of these leaked documents.”
Meyer asked the Pentagon if there were additional leaks. And they told her they couldn’t rule that out.
She says many people at the Pentagon have been cut off from high-level information until how the leak happened is figured out.
Meyer goes on to say it could have been as simple as someone walking out of the Pentagon with a piece of paper. And, it could have happened anywhere else around the world.
“Whether it was intentional or not, it seems the Pentagon was caught off guard,” she said. “Because they learned about this from a New York Times article that broke last Thursday.”
Carabello asked, “Do you feel they’re close to finding the leak? Are they giving any indication of where they are in the process?”
“They’re really not,” Meyer said. “We pressed multiple times with the Pentagon spokesperson today. There are hundreds, even thousands of people that have that kind of access to these types of documents.”
Listen to the entire segment.
KSL at Night can be heard on weeknights from 7 to 9 p.m.
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