Russia says Ukraine tried to attack Putin residence, but Zelensky denies it
Ukraine denies accusation as a fabrication after Trump said he was ‘angry’ when Putin told him about the alleged attack
Following angry exchanges on Monday, Russia dealt a fresh blow to diplomatic efforts on Tuesday by refusing to substantiate claims of a Ukrainian attack on President Vladimir Putin’s residence, instead using the unverified incident as justification to harden its position in conflict negotiations with Kyiv.
US President Donald Trump said Putin had told him about the alleged attack in a phone call on Monday morning, which had angered him. Still, Trump repeated his belief that a peace deal may be near.
“It’s one thing to be offensive,” Trump told reporters. “It’s another thing to attack his house. It’s not the right time to do any of that. And I learned about it from President Putin today. I was very angry about it.”
On Sunday, Trump met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Florida and the US president said they were “getting a lot closer, maybe very close” to an agreement to end the war, although “thorny” territorial issues remained.
On Monday, Putin struck a defiant tone, telling his army to press on with a campaign to take full control of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region. The Kremlin repeated demands for Kyiv to pull its forces out of the last part of the Donbas area that they still hold in eastern Ukraine.
Putin told Trump in Monday’s phone call that Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February 2022, was reviewing its stance following the reported drone attack, an aide said. Zelensky dismissed Russia’s allegation as “a complete fabrication” and the Kremlin’s own refusal to take necessary steps to end the war.
After the call with Putin, Trump told reporters outside his home in Palm Beach, Florida, that he had no further information about the alleged attack.