President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected Russia’s claims that Ukraine carried out a drone strike on one of President Vladimir Putin’s residences and accused Moscow of attempting to obstruct peace negotiations.
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov asserted that Kyiv initiated an overnight assault with 91 long-range drones targeting Putin’s official residence in the northwestern Novgorod region of Russia.
Russia announced it would reassess its stance in peace talks. The location of Putin during the alleged attack remains uncertain.
Zelensky rejected the assertion as “standard Russian falsehoods,” aimed at providing the Kremlin with a reason to persist in its assaults on Ukraine.
He stated that Russia had earlier aimed at government structures in Kyiv.
Zelensky stated, X: “It is critical that the world doesn’t stay silent now. We cannot allow Russia to undermine the work on achieving a lasting peace.”
In a message posted on Telegram on Monday, Lavrov asserted that all 91 drones he alleged were sent towards Putin’s residence were intercepted and eliminated by Russian air defense systems.
He stated that there were no reports of injuries or destruction following the attack.
“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.
However, he mentioned that Russia had no plans to withdraw from the negotiation process with the US, as reported by the Russian news agency Tass.
Moscow’s assertion follows discussions in Florida on Sunday between the US and Ukraine, where Presidents Trump and Zelensky talked about a new peace plan to conclude the conflict.
After the meeting, Zelensky informed Fox News on Monday that there is a “chance to conclude this war” in 2026.
He stated that Ukraine would be unable to win the war without the backing of the US.
Zelensky mentioned that the US had provided Ukraine with security assurances for 15 years, and Trump indicated that a deal on this matter was “almost 95%” completed.
Ukraine’s president characterized territorial disputes and the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear facility as the final outstanding issues, with minimal indications of advancement regarding the fate of Ukraine’s disputed Donbas area, which Russia aims to completely control.
Moscow presently governs approximately 75% of the Donetsk area and about 99% of the adjacent Luhansk. The two areas are collectively referred to as Donbas.
Russia has earlier dismissed major components of the proposed plan.
On Monday, the White House announced that President Trump had “wrapped up a constructive conversation” with Putin after the US-Ukraine discussions.
Yuri Ushakov, a foreign policy advisor to the Kremlin, informed reporters on Monday that during the call, Putin highlighted that the supposed attack on his residence occurred “nearly immediately following what the US deemed a successful series of discussions.”
Ushakov said, “The US president was shocked by this information; he was angry and said he couldn’t believe such mad actions. It was stated that this will no doubt affect the US approach to working with Zelensky”.
At a subsequent press conference, Trump seemed to suggest he was unaware of the claimed incident, but later informed reporters that Putin had mentioned it to him and he was “very angry” regarding it.
When questioned about whether the US had found any proof backing Russia’s assertion, he replied, “We’ll see.” You’re suggesting that perhaps the attack never occurred—that could be possible as well, I suppose. But President Putin informed me this morning that it did.
