Zelenskyy accuses Russia of trying to sabotage peace talks with ‘typical Russian lies’ | Ukraine

Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of sabotaging peace talks and preparing to bomb government buildings after the Kremlin announced that it prevented a drone attack on Vladimir Putin’s residence in Ukraine.

Zelenskyy called the claim “typical Russian lies” after a two-hour meeting with Donald Trump in Florida on Sunday. He said Russia was “at it again” and was using “dangerous statements” to undermine “diplomatic efforts” to end the conflict with the United States.

He added: “This alleged ‘residence strike’ story is a complete fabrication intended to justify additional attacks on Ukraine, including on Kiev, and Russia’s refusal to take the necessary steps to end the war.”

Ukraine’s president has warned that an attack on the main government complex in his capital is likely, similar to Russia’s bombing of the cabinet ministers’ building in central Kiev in September.

Earlier, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov claimed that Ukraine tried to hit Putin’s residence in the Novgorod region, south of St Petersburg. As a result, Moscow’s negotiating position will be reviewed, he said.

Lavrov said that Russian air defense shot down 91 incoming UAVs. Condemning what he called “state terrorism”, he added: “Such reckless actions will not go unanswered.” He said targets for retaliatory strikes against Ukraine had already been selected.

The Kremlin’s latest bellicose threat appeared to be part of a KGB-style information campaign against Russians and the impressionable White House. Advisor to the Russian President Yuri Ushakov claimed that Putin informed Trump about the alleged attack in their conversation on Monday.

Ushakov claimed that Trump was “shocked” by this news and that Russian officials claimed that Britain was also involved in what he described as a “provocation”.

Speaking at Mar-a-Lago on Monday afternoon, Ushakov’s characterization of Trump appeared accurate when the US president told reporters that the news made him “very angry”. Asked if he was worried it would affect peacemaking efforts, Trump said: “I don’t like it. It’s not good.”

“I learned about it from President Putin today,” he said, adding: “It’s a delicate period of time. This is not the right time. It’s one thing to be offensive, because they’re offensive. It’s another thing to attack his house. It’s not the right time to do any of that.”

Asked if there was any evidence of such an attack, Trump said: “We’ll find out.”

Trump’s press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, described the meeting between him and Putin as “positive.” This followed a long meeting between the two leaders on Saturday.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said that Moscow was using the old tactic of blaming the other side. “what are you doing or planning yourself”. He noted that Kiev was only striking “legitimate military targets” in enemy territory and defending itself against Russian aggression.

Zelenskyy had previously said the US had offered Ukraine “strong” security guarantees for 15 years, but acknowledged that the future of the country’s eastern Donbas region was unresolved after talks with Trump at the US president’s Mar-a-Lago residence.

Speaking on his way back to Europe, Zelenskyy said that the US Congress and the Ukrainian parliament will jointly vote on America’s promises. He said these were an important part of the 20-point peace plan discussed with the US president.

Kiev considers the guarantees vital to deter further Russian aggression in the event of a peace deal. Zelenskyy broke previous promises, including the US- and UK-backed one in 1994. Budapest memorandum Guaranteeing Ukraine’s borders “did not work.”

Details of the latest US commitments remain unclear. Trump has refused to deploy peacekeeping troops. Zelenskyy said that the presence of international observers in post-war Ukraine is the best form of security and will provide assurance to the country’s citizens.

The Ukrainian president added: “We would really like the guarantees to be longer. I told him [Trump] We want to consider 30, 40, even 50 year guarantees, and that would be a historic decision by President Trump. “The president said he would think about it.”

At a joint news conference on Sunday evening, Trump claimed that a deal to end the war was “closer than ever.” In reality, the two sides are very far apart; The Kremlin insisted on Monday that Ukraine must withdraw its troops from a “fortress belt” of cities in the Donetsk region.

Vladimir Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that Kiev would lose more territory if it did not reach an agreement. He refused to comment on the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, which Moscow has occupied since a full-scale invasion in 2022 and is another sticking point in the talks.

Zelenskyy refused to give land to Russia. “It is no secret that Russia wants this. In their fantasies, they do not want us to exist at all on the territory of our own country,” he said. Instead, he proposed a demilitarized and free economic zone along the existing front line, from which both sides would withdraw their troops.

The plan can be presented to the Ukrainian people in a referendum if Russia accepts a ceasefire that will last at least 60 days. Zelenskyy called a possible national vote a “powerful tool” that would be “an expression of the will of the Ukrainian people.”

Trump spoke to European leaders via video call from Mar-a-Lago on Sunday. Zelenskyy said he expected to hold talks with them in Europe in the coming days, and that a joint follow-up meeting with Trump would likely be held in January, possibly at the White House.

Zelenskyy said Sunday’s talks between US and Ukrainian delegations were “wonderful” and “important.”

Ukrainian commentators expressed relief Monday that there was no repeat of the humiliating scenes of Trump kicking Zelenskyy out of the Oval Office at the Mar-a-Lago meeting in February.

But some of Trump’s remarks have been harshly criticized, including his dubious claim that “Russia wants to see a very successful Ukraine.” They noted that the US president refused to condemn the Kremlin’s large-scale airstrike on Kiev over the weekend, which included more than 500 drones, and that “Ukraine also made very strong attacks.”

Maria PopovaDr., an associate professor of political science at McGill University in Canada. Said on Bluesky Trump “sounded like Putin’s sock puppet again” at his Mar-a-Lago press conference. Pointing out that Trump had a long phone conversation with Putin just before his meeting with Zelenskyy, Trump added that the US president’s mind was “filled with fresh Russian propaganda.”