Russia says Ukraine launched drone attack on Putin's residence, Zelenskyy calls claim a 'lie'

LAST UPDATE | 9 hrs ago

RUSSIA HAS SAID Ukraine launched a drone attack on the official residence of President Vladimir Putin, labelling it a “terrorist attack” that will lead it to “revise” its negotiating position in talks about ending the war between the two countries. 

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”.

The reported attack comes as US President Donald Trump said a resolution to the conflict was “closer than ever”. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the Russian claim a “lie”. 

“Another lie from the Russian Federation,” Zelenskyy told journalists.

“They’re simply preparing the ground to carry out strikes, probably on the capital and probably on government buildings,” he said.

“Everyone needs to be alert now, absolutely everyone. A strike on the capital may be carried out, especially since this person (Putin)… said they will choose corresponding targets.”

‘Dangerous statements’ 

“Russia is at it again, using dangerous statements to undermine all achievements of our shared diplomatic efforts with President Trump’s team,” Zelenskyy 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.

Meanwhile, Trump had a “positive” call with Putin today, the White House said, a day after Trump met Zelenskyy in Florida.

“President Trump has concluded a positive call with President Putin concerning Ukraine,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on X. Trump and Putin had also spoken ahead of Sunday’s Zelenskyy talks. 

Leavitt’s comments came shortly after the reported drone attack.

Also today, Ukraine said the US had offered a 15-year security guarantee.

“Without security guarantees, this war cannot be considered truly over. We cannot acknowledge that it has ended, because with such a neighbour there remains a risk of renewed aggression,” Zelenskyy said.

He had told Trump the 15-year offer was too short a period for Kyiv.

“I told him that we really want to consider the possibility of 30, 40, 50 years,” he added. “The president said he would think about it.”

Yesterday, the Kremlin said it agreed with Trump that talks to end the Ukraine war were in their final stage.

Asked by journalists if Moscow agreed with Trump’s assessment, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “Of course”.

Zelenskyy said that Russia’s actions do not correspond with the rhetoric coming from President Putin. 

“On the one hand, he tells the president of the United States that he wants to end the war and that this is his desire,” Zelenskyy told journalists.

“And on the other hand, he openly communicates in the media all his messages about being ready and wanting to continue the war – he strikes us with missiles, openly talks about it, celebrates the destruction of civilian infrastructure, gives instructions to his generals about where to advance and what to seize, and so on.”

Zelenskyy added: “In my view, these actions do not correspond to the supposedly peaceful rhetoric that he uses in dialogues with the president of the United States.”

He also said he wanted any plan to end the war with Russia to be signed by Ukraine, Russia, Europe and the United States.

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Zelenskyy told journalists any plan “must be signed by four sides: Ukraine, Europe, America and Russia”. He added that Kyiv hoped to “move forward quickly” and was “open” to any format of meetings.

He said he wants Kyiv to host a meeting with European and American officials in the “coming days” to work on documents to end the war with Russia.

“We want this meeting to take place, and I believe we will do everything possible for it to finally be held in Ukraine,” Zelenskyy told journalists, adding that the meeting would be “at the adviser level”.

US envoy Steve Witkoff spoke with Zelenskyy today, according to a Ukrainian negotiator. 

“Just now, while on the way to Ukraine, we held a conversation with the US President’s Special Representative Steve Witkoff. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also joined the call,” Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov said on Facebook, without elaborating on what they discussed.

‘Closer than ever’

In a pre-New Year’s diplomatic sprint, Trump brought to his Florida estate Zelenskyy, who described a peace plan as 95% complete despite Russia unleashing major new attacks a day before on Kyiv’s residential areas.

“I really believe we’re, Mr. President, probably closer than – far closer than – ever before with both parties,” Trump said with Zelenskyy at his side in the tea room of his Mar-a-Lago estate.

“Everybody wants it ended,” Trump said, adding that Putin “wants to see Ukraine succeed.”

“President Putin was very generous in his feeling toward Ukraine succeeding, including supplying energy, electricity and other things at very low prices,” Trump said.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has welcomed the progress. In a statement released last night, he said: “I firmly hope that this will be built on in the time ahead to enable a ceasefire to take place.”

“The people of Ukraine, who have endured so much as they bravely defend their country, deserve a just and sustainable peace.”

“Russia must now demonstrate that it is committed to ending its illegal war on Ukraine,” he said.

Territory

Territorial issues and the future of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant are the last unresolved parts of talks to end the Ukraine-Russia war, Zelenskyy said today.

“Two questions remain: the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant — how will it function — and the issue of territories,” Zelenskyy told journalists. “That is why I said this 20-point plan is 90 percent ready.”

Trump acknowledged continued disagreement between Kyiv and Moscow on territory. The current plan, revised after weeks of intense US-Ukrainian negotiations, would stop the war at the current frontlines in the eastern Donbas region and set up a demilitarised area, while Russia has long demanded territorial concessions.

“It’s unresolved, but it’s getting a lot closer. That’s a very tough issue, but one that I think will get resolved,” Trump said.

Trump offered to address the Ukrainian parliament to promote the plan – an idea that Zelenskyy quickly welcomed.

Zelenskyy’s openness to the revised US plan marks Kyiv’s most explicit acknowledgement yet of possible territorial concessions, although Ukrainians would need to vote in a referendum.

By contrast, Russia has shown no signs of compromise, as it sees hope in the grinding gains it has made over four years against tough Ukrainian defences.

The Kremlin in its readout of talks between Putin and Trump called on Kyiv to make a “bold and responsible decision” and immediately withdraw troops from Donbas and cast European leaders as the impediment to Trump.

Trump and Putin agree that a “temporary ceasefire” would “merely prolong the conflict and risk a renewed escalation on the battlefield,” Kremlin diplomatic advisor Yuri Ushakov said.

He said that Trump and Putin would speak again “promptly” after the Zelenskyy meeting, although there was no immediate news of a second call.

Trump’s advisors have previously floated the idea of offering NATO-like security guarantees to Ukraine, meaning in theory that the alliance’s members would respond militarily if Russia attacks again.

Zelenskyy said that the peace framework laid out by Trump was “90 percent agreed” and that “US-Ukraine security guarantees: 100 percent agreed.”

Russia had adamantly rejected any entrance of the former Soviet republic into NATO.

With additional reporting from AFP

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