President Trump meets with President Zelensky and talks with President Putin regarding Ukraine issue
President Donald Trump welcomed Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy and said he believed a peace deal in Ukraine was coming together.
MOSCOW, Dec 30 (Reuters) – Moscow has accused Kiev of trying to attack the presidential palace in northern Russia, but Ukrainian leaders have dismissed the claim as a lie aimed at allowing Moscow to continue its war in Ukraine.
Here’s what we know so far:
What is Russia’s accusation?
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday accused Ukraine of attacking the presidential palace in the Novgorod region with 91 long-range attack drones overnight, and said Russia would retaliate.
He said no one was injured and that the Russian government had not stopped negotiating to end the war in Ukraine, but that its negotiating position was being reassessed in the wake of the attack, which he described as “state terrorism.”
Mr. Lavrov provided no evidence of the accusation. He said Russia had already identified targets inside Ukraine.
What did Ukraine say?
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy dismissed Russia’s accusations as “another lie” aimed at justifying further attacks on Ukraine and prolonging the war that has been underway since President Vladimir Putin sent troops to Ukraine in February 2022.
“This story of an alleged ‘settlement attack’ is a complete fabrication aimed at justifying further attacks against Ukraine, including Kiev, and Russia’s own refusal to take the necessary steps to end the war. A typical Russian lie.”
Russia frequently launches hundreds of drones and fires missiles in near-daily attacks on Ukraine.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sibikha on Monday called on world leaders to condemn Russia for its suspicions, adding on Tuesday: “Almost a day has passed and Russia still has not provided any plausible evidence for Ukraine’s alleged ‘attack on Putin’s residence.’ And they will not do that, because there is nothing. No such attack has taken place.”
Where is President Putin’s residence?
Valdai House, also known as “Uzin” or “Dolgiye Volody,” is a heavily guarded complex on the shores of Lake Valdai, about 355 miles north of Moscow.
Where was President Putin at the time of the alleged attack?
It is unclear where Putin was at the time of the attack, but he held talks in the Kremlin on Saturday and Monday. President Putin has not yet publicly commented on the situation, and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday that such details should not be made public in light of recent events.
Just before Lavrov’s statement, Putin met with Defense Minister Andrei Belosov, Federal Security Service Chief Alexander Bortnikov, and senior officials in the Kremlin about the war in Ukraine. He did not mention Ukraine’s drone attack on the residence.
What did Donald Trump say about the alleged attack on Putin’s residence?
President Putin informed President Trump of the attack on Monday.
“I don’t like it. It’s not good,” President Trump told reporters.
“Being aggressive is another thing,” Trump said. “It’s another thing to attack his house. This is not the right time to do that. And I learned that from President Putin today. I was very angry about that.”
Where was the suspected drone?
After Lavrov’s statement, Russia’s Defense Ministry announced that 91 drones were shot down en route to the presidential palace, 49 of them over the Bryansk region, 450 kilometers from Valdai, one over the Smolensk region and 41 over the heavily forested Novgorod region.
The Ministry of Defense did not mention the attack on the mansion in its previous reports on military operations. Novgorod Governor Alexander Doronov said air defense forces and fighter jets were shooting down the Ukrainian drone.
Asked whether Russia had physical evidence of a drone attack, Peskov said on Tuesday that the issue of debris was a matter for the Defense Ministry.
Has Russia accused Ukraine of similar attacks before?
Russia accused Ukraine of attacking the Kremlin with drones in 2023 in an attempt to assassinate President Putin. Ukraine denies involvement in the incident and accuses Russia of fabricating excuses to escalate the war.
The New York Times later reported that U.S. intelligence believed Ukrainian security services were behind the attack, but it was unclear whether President Zelenskiy or his top officials were aware of the operation. The paper said some officials believed Zelenskiy was unaware.
What will be the impact on peace negotiations?
Russia on Monday said it would not withdraw from peace talks, but would retaliate and review its position in the talks.
“The diplomatic outcome will be a tightening of the Russian Federation’s negotiating position,” Peskov said on Tuesday. He did not say which targets Russia might attack, but said the military would know when and how to respond.
