Russian claims of Ukraine attack on Putins home raise doubts about peace talks

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s residence in Novgorod was allegedly targeted by Ukrainian drones on Sunday, according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The incident occurred during talks between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy aimed at brokering a peace agreement to end the war in Ukraine.

Lavrov stated that 91 drones were launched towards the Valdai residence, which is located approximately 360km north of Moscow. Air defense systems shot down 49 drones over the Bryansk region, one over the Smolensk region, and 41 over the Novgorod region while en route.

Russian officials accused Ukraine and Zelenskyy of carrying out the strike to derail the prospects of a peace agreement. Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, made comments on X suggesting that Zelenskyy was trying to provoke war.

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has denied Russia’s allegations, stating that Ukraine did not attack Putin’s residence and calling the claim a “complete fabrication.” Andrii Sybiha, Ukrainian Foreign Minister, also condemned Moscow’s claims, saying they were intended to create a pretext for further attacks against Ukraine.

US President Trump appeared to accept the Russian version of events on Monday, but later stated that US intelligence agencies would investigate the incident. Congressman Don Bacon criticized Trump for accepting the Russian account without assessing the facts, calling Putin a “well-known boldface liar.”

Source: Al Jazeera