Live: Zelensky denounces 'lies' as Russia accuses Ukraine of targeting Putin residence in Novgorod
· France 24
30/12/2025 - 02:01
Zelensky says Ukraine needs US support and he does not trust Putin
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Fox News that Ukraine cannot win its war against Russia without US support and that he does not trust Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"Can we win without American support? No," Zelensky said in an interview on Fox News show "Special Report with Bret Baier" aired on Monday, before laying out the difficulties that will be posed by a lack of US support.
"I don't trust Putin and he doesn't want success for Ukraine," Zelensky said, adding his Sunday meeting with President Donald Trump was productive.
Putin told his army on Monday to press on with a campaign to take full control of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region.
29/12/2025 - 22:42
The West must recognise that Russia holds strategic initiative in Ukraine, says Lavrov
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the West must understand that Russia holds the strategic initiative in Ukraine as discussions move forward on a possible settlement.
Lavrov told RIA news agency that the West had to come to terms with the territorial realities on the ground nearly four years after the launch of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, which it describes as a "Special Military Operation".
He said the United States now supported the notion, which had become clear to all, that with the expiry of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensiy's mandate, a new election was needed.
Lavrov also again stressed that a settlement required an end to any notion of a NATO presence in Ukraine and that the country had to adopt a neutral, non-aligned status.
29/12/2025 - 21:39
Russia says Ukraine attacked Putin's home, Kyiv calls this 'lie'
Russia accused Ukraine on Monday of having fired dozens of drones at one of President Vladimir Putin's homes, an accusation that Ukraine called a "lie" aimed at undermining US-led efforts to end the war. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who does not typically announce drone strikes, said Ukraine had fired "91 long-range unmanned aerial vehicles" at Putin's residence in the Novgorod region between late Sunday and early Monday, all of which were shot down.
29/12/2025 - 19:56
Trump criticises alleged Ukraine attack on Putin residence
US President Donald Trump has criticised an alleged Ukrainian drone attack on Russian leader Vladimir Putin's residence -- which Kyiv denies -- saying it was "not the right time," amid talks to end Moscow's invasion.
"You know who told me about it? President Putin, early in the morning, he said he was attacked. It's no good," Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, adding that he was "very angry about it."
"It's a delicate period of time. This is not the right time. 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."
29/12/2025 - 18:27
External power line to Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant has been restored, management says
An external power link has been restored to the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station in Ukraine after the completion of repairs, the plant's Russian management said.
A statement said the line had been put out of action by "fire from the Ukrainian armed forces". Repairs were carried out with monitors present from the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency. It said the situation at the plant was under control, with normal radiation levels.
The station is connected to the power grid by two lines -- the second had remained in operation through the repair work.
29/12/2025 - 17:31
Putin told Trump that Russia's position will change after Ukrainian drone attack on residence
Russian President Vladimir Putin told US President Donald Trump that Russia would review its position in peace negotiations after what Moscow said was a Ukrainian drone attack on a Russian presidential residence, the Kremlin said.
Ukraine has dismissed the Russian statements that 91 drones attacked Putin's residence in northern Russia as lies, and has accused Moscow of attempting to undermine the peace talks.
Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov said that Putin and Trump spoke on Monday and that Putin was briefed by Trump and his senior advisers about the negotiations with Ukraine.
Putin informed Trump about the drone attack on the Russian presidential residence and told Trump that Russia was reviewing its position as a result.
29/12/2025 - 17:29
Zelensky says Russia using 'dangerous statements' to 'undermine' Ukraine-US diplomacy
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Moscow of trying to undermine US-led diplomatic efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war, after Moscow accused Kyiv of attacking Vladimir Putin's residence.
"Russia is at it again, using dangerous statements to undermine all achievements of our shared diplomatic efforts with President Trump's team," Zelensky said on social media.
"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," he added.
29/12/2025 - 17:09
Trump held a 'positive call' with Putin on Monday, White House says
President Donald Trump has concluded a "positive call" with Russia's Vladimir Putin concerning the war in Ukraine, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said.
29/12/2025 - 16:49
Ukraine fired 91 drones at Putin's residence, Lavrov says
Russia accused Kyiv of firing drones at Vladimir Putin's residence between Moscow and Saint Petersburg, announcing it would "revise" its negotiating position on ending the Ukraine war after the "terrorist attack".
In a statement, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Ukraine fired 91 drones at Putin's "official residence" in the Novgorod region Sunday night into Monday, adding that all of them were destroyed by air defences.
Lavrov announced Russia had chosen targets in Ukraine for "retaliation strikes" and that Moscow's "negotiating position will be revised".
29/12/2025 - 16:41
Zelensky says Russian claim of an Ukrainian attempt to bomb Putin's residence are lies
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected Russian claims that the Ukrainian military had tried to target Vladimir Putin's residence in the Novgorod region. The Ukrainian leader added that Moscow was preparing the ground to strike government buildings in Kyiv.
29/12/2025 - 16:13
Russia claims that Ukraine tried to attack Putin's residence in the Novgorod region
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday that Ukraine had tried to attack President Vladimir Putin's residence in the Novgorod region and so Moscow's negotiating position would change, Interfax reported.
29/12/2025 - 15:54
US envoy Witkoff held call with Ukrainian negotiators, Zelensky after Trump talk
29/12/2025 - 14:52
Putin says Russia 'confidently advancing' in Ukraine
Russia is pressing ahead with its plan to capture four Ukrainian regions it announced the annexation of in 2022 and is making steady progress, President Vladimir Putin said.
"The goal of liberating the Donbas, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions is being carried out in stages, in accordance with the plan of the special military operation ... The troops are confidently advancing," Putin said in a televised meeting with Russian army commanders.
29/12/2025 - 14:39
Ukraine is on the defensive, Russian army chief tells Putin
General Valery Gerasimov, the chief of Russia's General Staff, said that Moscow's forces were advancing in Ukraine along the entire front line, while Kyiv's forces were by contrast focused on defence and attempting to counter attack.
In a televised meeting with President Vladimir Putin and other top military officials, Gerasimov claimed that Russian forces in 2025 had captured 6,460 square kilometres (2494 square miles) of territory in Ukraine, including 334 villages.
29/12/2025 - 12:02
Germany welcomes Trump's push for Ukraine peace, notes discrepancy between Russia's public statements and actions on ground
Germany welcomes US President Donald Trump's efforts toward achieving a lasting and just peace in Ukraine, a government spokesperson said on Monday after talks between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Florida on Sunday.
The spokesperson added that no peace is possible without Russia's involvement and noted a discrepancy between Russia's public statements and its actions on the ground.
29/12/2025 - 11:28
Analysis: Thorny questions remain despite positive meeting reports from Trump and Zelensky
US President Donald Turmp and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky both reported progress on two of the most contentious issues regarding a peace deal in Ukraine: security guarantees for the country and the division of the eastern Donbas region, which Russia is trying to capture. But thorny questions remain. David Smith, Washington Bureau Chief for The Guardian, told us more.
29/12/2025 - 11:09
Fate of Donbas, Zaporizhzhia plant remain unresolved in 20-point plan, says Zelensky
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday that control over Ukraine's eastern Donbas region and the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant remained unresolved in the 20-point peace plan after his meeting with US President Donald Trump.
Speaking to reporters, he said talks on a free economic zone in Donbas continued but should include the Ukrainian people, and that an envisaged prosperity package for a post-war Ukraine included a free-trade deal with the US.
29/12/2025 - 11:06
Kremlin agrees with Trump that Ukraine talks in their final stage
The Kremlin on Monday said it agreed with US President Donald Trump that talks to end the Ukraine war were in their final stage.
Asked by journalists if Moscow agreed with Trump's assessment following his talks with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "Of course".
29/12/2025 - 10:57
Kremlin says Ukraine should withdraw troops from Donbas, and a Putin-Trump call is expected soon
The Kremlin said on Monday that Ukraine should withdraw its troops from the part of Donbas that it still controls, and that a call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump would take place very soon.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said a phone call between Putin and Zelensky was not currently under discussion.
Russia currently controls a fifth of Ukraine, including Crimea which it annexed in 2014, about 90% of Donbas, 75% of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, and slivers of the Kharkiv, Sumy, Mykolaiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions, according to Russian estimates.
29/12/2025 - 10:26
20-point peace plan should be put to referendum in Ukraine, says Zelensky
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that a 20-point peace plan to end Russia's war should be put to a referendum in Ukraine.
Speaking to reporters in a WhatsApp chat, he added that a ceasefire of at least 60 days would be necessary to hold such a referendum.
(FRANCE 24 with AP, AFP and Reuters)