Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has firmly denied Russian allegations that Kyiv launched a drone attack on one of President Vladimir Putin’s state residences, accusing Moscow of fabricating the claim to sabotage ongoing peace efforts to end the war.
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov alleged that Ukraine overnight deployed 91 long-range unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) targeting Putin’s residence in Russia’s northwestern Novgorod region. According to Lavrov, all the drones were intercepted and destroyed by Russian air defence systems, with no reported casualties or damage. It remains unclear where Putin was at the time of the alleged attack.
Zelensky dismissed the accusation as “typical Russian lies,” saying it was aimed at providing the Kremlin with a pretext to intensify attacks on Ukraine and derail diplomatic progress. He noted that Russia itself had repeatedly targeted government buildings in Kyiv since the start of the invasion.
Writing on X, Zelensky said: “It is critical that the world doesn’t stay silent now. We cannot allow Russia to undermine the work on achieving a lasting peace.”
In a statement shared on Telegram on Monday, Lavrov warned that Russia would reassess its negotiating stance, accusing what he described as the “criminal Kyiv regime” of adopting a policy of “state terrorism.” However, he added that Moscow did not intend to withdraw from negotiations with the United States, according to Russian state news agency Tass.
The Kremlin’s claim comes shortly after talks between the United States and Ukraine in Florida on Sunday, where Presidents Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky discussed a revised peace plan aimed at ending the conflict. Following the meeting, Zelensky told Fox News that there was a “possibility to finish this war” in 2026, but stressed that Ukraine could not prevail without continued US support.
“My feelings of President Trump’s sanctions and economical steps show that he’s ready for very strong steps,” Zelensky said. “In this situation, the United States can move the situation to peace quicker.”
Zelensky also said he saw no indication that Putin genuinely wanted peace, adding that he did not trust the Russian leader. He revealed that Washington had offered Ukraine security guarantees for 15 years, with Trump indicating that an agreement on this issue was “close to 95%” complete.
According to Zelensky, territorial questions and the future of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant remain the main unresolved issues. There has also been little progress on the fate of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, which Russia aims to seize in full. Moscow currently controls about 75% of the Donetsk region and nearly all of neighbouring Luhansk, together known as Donbas.
Russia has previously rejected key elements of the peace plan under discussion.
The White House said on Monday that President Trump had “concluded a positive call” with Putin following the US-Ukraine talks. Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov later told reporters that Putin raised the alleged drone attack during the call, saying it occurred “almost straight after” what Washington viewed as a successful round of negotiations.
Ushakov claimed Trump was “shocked” and “angry” upon hearing the allegation, adding that the incident could affect the US approach to working with Zelensky. Trump later told reporters that Putin had informed him of the alleged attack and said he was “very angry” about it, though he acknowledged that it was also possible the attack did not take place.
Asked whether the US had seen any evidence supporting Russia’s claim, Trump responded: “Well, we’ll find out. You’re saying maybe the attack didn’t take place – that’s possible too, I guess. But President Putin told me this morning it did.”
As diplomatic efforts continue, Ukraine has warned that unverified claims and escalating rhetoric risk undermining fragile momentum toward a negotiated end to the war.
