President Donald Trump has spoken out after Vladimir Putin claimed Ukraine launched a dramatic overnight drone attack on his residence, sparking fresh fears about the conflict escalating even further.
According to Russian officials, Ukraine targeted Putin’s state residence in Russia’s northwestern Novgorod region using 91 long-range unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made the claim on Monday (December 29), saying all of the drones were intercepted and destroyed by Russian air defence systems before causing any damage.
In a statement shared on Telegram, Lavrov said there were no reports of casualties or structural damage following the alleged attack. However, he warned that the incident could have serious consequences for ongoing peace talks.
“Given the final degeneration of the criminal Kyiv regime, which has switched to a policy of state terrorism, Russia’s negotiating position will be revised,” he said.
Despite this, Lavrov added that Russia does not intend to completely withdraw from negotiations with the US, according to Russian state news agency Tass.
It remains unclear where Putin was at the time of the alleged drone strike.
The claim came shortly after talks between the US and Ukraine in Florida on Sunday, where Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy discussed a revised peace plan aimed at ending the war.
Trump addressed the situation yesterday while greeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida.
“Yeah, I don’t, I don’t like it – it’s not good. I heard about it this morning. Do you know who told me about it? President Putin told me about it early in the morning – he said he was attacked,” Trump told reporters.
He continued: “It’s no good, it’s no good. Don’t forget, you know, the Tomahawks? I stopped the Tomahawks. I didn’t want that, because we’re talking about, you know, it’s a delicate period of time. This is not the right time.
“It’s one thing to be offensive because they were offensive. It’s another thing to attack his house. It’s not the right time to do any of that and can’t do it – and I learned about it from President Putin today. I was very angry about it.”
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy strongly denied the accusation, dismissing it as ‘typical Russian lies’ in a post on X.
“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,” he wrote.
“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.”
He added: “Ukraine does not take steps that can undermine diplomacy… It is critical that the world doesn’t stay silent now. We cannot allow Russia to undermine the work on achieving a lasting peace.”