Russia threatens to break off negotiations after accusing Ukraine of attacking one of Putin’s residences
Sergey Lavrov claims Moscow has identified the targets it will bomb following an alleged strike on a presidential residence in Novgorod
The Russian government is threatening to end peace negotiations after accusing Kyiv of carrying out an alleged attack on Vladimir Putin’s second home following a meeting Sunday between the leaders of the United States and Ukraine, Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskiy. “Russia’s negotiating position will be reviewed given Kyiv’s definitive transition to a policy of state terrorism,” said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
According to the Kremlin’s version of events, Russia shot down 91 drones that Ukraine allegedly launched at the Russian leader’s residence in the Novgorod region. “The attack on the Russian presidential residence will not go unanswered,” warned Lavrov, who assured that Russian retaliation will not be long in coming. After the Kremlin launched its accusations against Kyiv, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt announced on social media that Trump had a “positive call” with Putin about Ukraine.
“The targets for retaliatory actions and the timing of their implementation by the Russian Armed Forces have been determined,” Putin’s chief diplomat added a day after Moscow launched an intense 10-hour bombardment of the Ukrainian capital on the eve of the meeting between Zelenskiy and Trump at the Republican’s Mar-a-Lago resort.
The Russian threat comes after another failed attempt by Trump to advance a possible peace agreement. Putin has not yet commented on his conversation with the U.S. president, but Russian authorities have emphasized that Moscow is starting from a 27-point program based on what was discussed at the summit between the two leaders in Alaska in August. According to Russian diplomats, the 20-point plan agreed between Kyiv and Washington is “unacceptable.”
Putin stated on Monday that the Russian military operation will continue as planned “until its objectives are met,” according to the Interfax news agency.
Zelenskiy denies attack
Zelenskiy issued a statement on social media describing the accusation of an attack on Putin’s residence as “completely false”: “This is an excuse to continue the attacks on Ukraine, particularly on Kyiv, and also to refuse to take the necessary decisions to end the war.”
The Ukrainian president believes that following Lavrov’s words, Russia could be preparing a major attack on the capital and, more specifically, on state buildings. The Cabinet headquarters in Kyiv was hit by a missile last September.
On Sunday night, after his meeting with Trump, Zelenskiy reiterated to Ukrainian media that the key to bringing peace to his country is the security guarantees of his European and American allies.
Zelenskiy revealed that the White House has assured Kyiv that it will take appropriate measures, equivalent to Ukraine becoming a member of NATO, but only for a period of 15 years, with the option of an extension. The Ukrainian president explained that he had asked Trump to extend the period to at least 30 years and, ideally, to 50. “I told President Trump that the war has been going on for almost 15 years,” Zelenskiy said, referring to the war in Donbas, which broke out in 2014 with pro-Russian separatists, “so security guarantees need to be longer.”
The Ukrainian leader believes that the war will not formally end until Kyiv has these security measures in place. Martial law — even if a hypothetical peace agreement were signed — would remain in force until Ukraine is under the umbrella of Western defense, Zelenskiy stressed.
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