US President Donald Trump said that he was “very angry” and it was “not the right time” after Russia accused Ukraine of trying to attack President Vladimir Putin’s residence on Monday. While Moscow vowed retaliation, Kyiv dismissed the claims as baseless and said they were designed to undermine the peace negotiations.
On Monday, Trump said that he was informed by Putin during their call about the alleged attack on his residence.
Speaking to reporters in Florida, he said, “It’s one thing to be offensive, because they’re offensive. It’s another thing to attack his house. It’s not the right time to do any of that.”
He added, “I learned about it from President Putin, and I was very angry about it.”
Russia vs Ukraine over ‘attack’ at Putin’s house
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov claimed that Ukraine launched “91 long-range unmanned aerial vehicles” towards Putin’s residence in the Novgorod region between late Sunday and early Monday. He said all of them were intercepted and destroyed.
“Given the complete degeneration of the criminal Kyiv regime, which has shifted to a policy of state terrorism, Russia’s negotiating position will be reconsidered,” Lavrov said.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed the accusation, calling it a “new lie” and saying that Russia might be using the claim as an excuse to plan strikes on government buildings in Kyiv.
In a post on X, Zelensky wrote, “Russia is at it again, using dangerous statements to undermine all achievements of our shared diplomatic efforts with President Trump’s team. We keep working together to bring peace closer. This alleged “residence strike” story is a complete fabrication intended to justify additional attacks against Ukraine, including Kyiv, as well as Russia’s own refusal to take necessary steps to end the war. Typical Russian lies. Furthermore, the Russians have already targeted Kyiv in the past, including the Cabinet of Ministers building.”
Ukraine peace talks
The back and forth over the claimed drone incident came a day after Zelensky met Trump in Florida, where both leaders spoke positively about the chances of reaching a peace agreement.
Those expectations suffered another setback after Trump spoke to Putin on Monday. During the call, the Russian president told the US leader that Moscow planned to reassess its position on negotiations related to Ukraine, according to a statement released by the Kremlin.
With inputs from agencies