Kyiv rejects Russia’s claim of Ukrainian attack on Putin residence

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, refutes Russia’s claim that Vladimir Putin targeted his country’s residence.

Sergey Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, claimed on Monday that 91 long-range strike drones were used in an attack on Putin’s residence in Novgorod, northwest of Russia.

No one was hurt, Lavrov claimed, adding that the aerial attack was downed by air defense systems.

The strike occurred on Sunday, according to Yury Ushakov, a Kremlin aide who spoke with the Kremlin about Russia’s nuclear negotiations in Florida.

Zelenskyy quickly refuted Moscow’s assertion and claimed that Russia was trying to thwart the peace talks.

Andrii Sybiha, the foreign affairs minister of Ukraine, said the accusations were meant to derail the negotiations.

In a post on X, Sybiha claimed that the claim was intended to “create a pretext and false justification for Russia’s continued attacks against Ukraine, as well as undermine and impede the peace process.”

Russia reiterated its intention to reevaluate its negotiating strategy in light of the alleged attack, with Maria Zakharova, a spokesman for the ministry of foreign affairs, warning that Moscow’s response “would not be diplomatic.”

Later on Monday, Trump claimed that Putin had called him and that Ukraine had attempted to attack the Russian president’s residence.

Trump claimed Putin made the claim during a call with reporters.

“I dislike it,” I said. When Trump was questioned about how the claim might impact his efforts to put an end to the Ukrainian conflict, Trump responded, “It’s not good.” President Putin told me about it today. I felt a lot of anger for it.

When Trump was asked whether the allegations supported any particulars, he responded, “We’ll find out.”

Peace negotiations are stifled.

The developments come as Ukraine’s fourth-year full-scale invasion by Russia approaches.

A 20-point peace plan, according to Zelenskyy, is “90 percent agreed” and security guarantees between the US and Ukraine are “100 percent agreed.”

However, significant issues remain regarding the future of Russian-occupied territory in the east of Ukraine.

Zelenskyy has repeatedly stated that the Ukrainian people should decide the matter, suggesting that various aspects of any deal could be decided by referendum.

Following the talks in Florida on Sunday, both Trump and Zelenskyy have hoped a peace agreement might come to an end.

Zelenskyy outlined his phone calls with the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the Latvian president Edgars Rinkevics, and the Finnish president Alexander Stubb, updating them on the status of their communications.

As Trump pressures him to reach an agreement to end the war, he has sought to balance his dealings with his allies in Europe and the US.

On the front line, fighting continues.

Meanwhile, fighting persisted on numerous fronts in Ukraine, with the Russian army claiming that its forces had taken the village of Dibrova in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.

According to regional governor Ivan Fedorov, at least one civilian was killed and another injured in the southeast of the Zaporizhia region when the Russians attacked the city of Orikhiv. He claimed a 46-year-old man was killed and a 49-year-old woman was hurt when Russian-guided aerial bombs struck the front-line city.

Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported that three people had been injured by Russian shelling in the Kharkiv region of northeastern Ukraine over the past 24 hours. He claimed that a 73-year-old woman was hurt in the Hroza village, a 54-year-old woman in Zolochiv, and a 73-year-old man from Novoplatonivka.

Russia asserted that its forces were strengthening or expanding positions in various regions, including Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Zaporizhia, Kherson, and Sumy.

Since the start of the day, 89 combat engagements have been recorded along the front lines, according to the general staff of Ukraine. According to an operational update released by Ukrinform on Monday, Russian forces were focused on the Pokrovsk sector, with fighting still taking place in six different sectors.

Source: Aljazeera