Peace Hopes Dented As Russia Says Ukraine Tried To Attack Putin Residence

MOSCOW/KYIV, December 29 (Reuters) – Russia accused Ukraine on Monday of trying to attack President Vladimir Putin’s residence and promised retaliation and provided no evidence of an allegation Kyiv rejected as unfounded and aimed to derail difficult peace talks.

Angry exchanges between the warring neighbors on Monday – including Russia saying it was reviewing its stance on negotiations in response to the attack – dealt a fresh blow to hopes for peace in Ukraine.

US President Donald Trump said Putin told him about the alleged attack in a phone call on Monday morning and that it angered him. Still, Trump reiterated his belief that a peace deal could be near.

“Being aggressive is one thing,” Trump told reporters. “It’s one thing to attack your home. It’s not the right time to do any of this. And I learned that from President Putin today. I’m very angry about it.”

Trump on Sunday Met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Florida and the US president said that although “tough” territorial issues remain, they are “much closer, perhaps very close” to an agreement to end the war.

On Monday, Putin struck a defiant tone, telling his military to continue a campaign to take full control of Ukraine. Zaporizhia region. The Kremlin reiterated its demands that Kiev withdraw its forces from the last part of the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine that it still holds.

Putin’s He told Trump in a phone call on Monday Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February 2022, is reviewing its stance following the reported drone attack, an aide said.

Zelenskiy called Russia’s claim a “complete fabrication” and rejected the Kremlin’s refusal to take the necessary steps to end it. war.

After his meeting with Putin, Trump told reporters outside his home in Palm Beach, Florida, that he had no further information about the alleged attack.

“I don’t like it, it’s not good,” Trump said. Asked if US intelligence agencies had evidence of such an attack, Trump said: “We’ll find out.”

RUSSIA IS SIGNALING A HARDER APPROACH TO ENDING THE WAR

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Ukraine was trying to attack Putin’s residence On December 28-29, all 91 long-range UAVs were destroyed by Russian air defense in the Novgorod region west of Moscow. In statements published in Russian media, he said that no one was injured and there was no damage.

Describing the attack as “state terrorism”, Lavrov said: “Such reckless actions will not remain unanswered” and added that targets for retaliatory attacks by Russia’s armed forces have already been selected.

Reuters could not independently verify Lavrov’s comments. Neither Lavrov nor other Russian officials have provided any evidence of the attack allegations. It was not clear where Putin was at the time.

Lavrov stated that the attack took place during negotiations on a possible peace agreement and said that Russia would review its negotiating stance but would not give up on negotiations.

Zelenskiy, who denied that Ukraine was planning such an attack, accused Russia of preparing the ground for attacking government buildings in Kiev.

“It is clear that we had a meeting with Trump yesterday, and it is clear to the Russians that if there is no scandal between us and America and we are making progress, for them this is a failure, because they do not want to end this war,” Zelenskiy told reporters via WhatsApp.

He added: “I’m sure they’re setting the stage for strikes, probably in the capital, probably in government buildings.”

UNRESOLVED REGIONAL PROBLEMS

Trump said his meeting with Putin on Monday was productive.

“I hope we have a few problems to solve, and if we solve them, you’ll have peace,” Trump said.

Zelenskiy said that a draft of a bilateral agreement with Trump on security guarantees for Ukraine was determined on Sunday. Still, Trump has said they are only 95 percent ready, and Zelenskiy said Monday he wants a 50-year security agreement.

Ukraine and Western countries must accept the fact that Russia retains the initiative on the battlefield in Ukraine, Lavrov said in a wide-ranging interview with state news agency RIA published late Monday.

Lavrov said, “Our principled stance has not changed. The strategic initiative is entirely in the hands of the Russian army.”

Trump said he expected European countries to “take on a large portion” of security efforts with U.S. support. Agreeing on such moves could be complicated, as Russia has said any deployment of foreign troops to Ukraine would be unacceptable.

Zelenskiy told Fox News in an interview aired late Monday that Ukraine could not win the war. US support and said he did not trust Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“I don’t trust Putin and he doesn’t want Ukraine’s success either,” Zelenskiy said.

Earlier on Monday, Ukraine’s president said the 20-point peace proposal included two main issues. remains to be solved: Control of Ukraine Zaporizhia nuclear power plantWhat is in Russia’s hands is the fate of the Donbas region.

Russia controls about one-fifth of Ukraine, including the Crimean Peninsula, which it annexed in 2014.

In addition to Donbas, which includes the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, it also claims the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions; however, all of these territories are internationally recognized as sovereign territory of Ukraine.

Russia wants Ukraine to withdraw its troops from parts of the Donetsk region that Moscow cannot occupy. Ukraine wants a cessation of fighting on existing front lines, and the United States has proposed establishing a free economic zone if Ukraine withdraws its troops.

Underscoring Russia’s intention to stand firm on its territorial ambitions, Putin said on Monday that his generals should continue efforts to secure the entire Zaporozhye region, of which Moscow currently controls about 75%.

Colonel General Mikhail Teplinsky, commander of Russia’s Dnieper military group, told Putin that Russian forces were 15 km (9.3 mi) from the largest city, also called Zaporizhzhia.

Putin replied: “In the near future, it is necessary to continue the offensive together with the Eastern group in order to liberate Zaporozhye.”

(Reporting by Yuliia Dysa, Dan Peleschuk, Olena Harmash, Yurii Kovalenko and Andrii Pryimachenko in Kiev and Moscow newsroom; Additional reporting by Andrea Shalal, Jonathan Allen, Lidia Kelly and Ronald Popeski; Writing by Timothy Heritage; Editing by Alexandra Hudson, William Maclean, Daniel Wallis, David Gregorio and Lincoln Feast.)