Russia has said it will not pull out of negotiations despite the Ukrainian armed forces’ attack on the presidential residence
Russia has accused Ukraine of carrying out a large drone attack targeting the residence of President Vladimir Putin in the Novgorod region, state-run platform TASS reported.
According to the report, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov confirmed the attack and ensured that Moscow would take action in response to the strike. All unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed, and there were no reports of casualties or damage following the attack.
Zelenskyy calls it ‘Russian lies’
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denied the allegations, accusing Moscow of spreading false narratives to undermine diplomatic efforts.
In a post on X, Zelenskyy said, “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,” he added.
Russia’s negotiating position
Despite the claim, Russia said it would not withdraw from negotiations. However, Moscow indicated it would reassess its negotiating stance in light of what it described as “terrorist actions” by the Ukrainian armed forces.
The development comes as the Trump administration continues efforts to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. US President Donald Trump has been engaging with both sides in recent weeks.
On Monday, Trump expressed optimism that an agreement could be close, saying there were only “one or two very thorny issues” left to resolve. “We could be very close… but I think we’re doing very well. We made a lot of progress today,” he said.
‘Very angry about it’: Trump
Speaking ahead of a bilateral meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump initially reacted cautiously to reports of the alleged attack.
“I don’t know about… that would be too bad, that would not be good,” Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort.
“This is not the right time,” he said. “It’s one thing to be offensive, it’s another thing to attack his house. I was very angry about it.”
(With agency inputs)
