Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Putin's residence in the Novgorod region was attacked by 91 drones on Monday night, according to Russian sources. All the drones were shot down, he added, according to state-controlled Tass.
Russia will therefore “reconsider its negotiating position,” Lavrov said, promising a Russian response to the alleged attack.
Undermining peace talks
But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has dismissed the Russian allegations as a “complete fabrication” aimed at undermining progress in peace talks between Ukraine and the United States. Russia is now planning new attacks, possibly against government buildings in Kyiv, Zelenskyy has warned.
"Typical Russian lies. Moreover, the Russians have already targeted Kyiv before, including the government building," he said in a statement on X.
Putin: The war continues
US President Donald Trump reportedly had a "positive" conversation with Putin on Monday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced in a post on X, published shortly after Lavrov's statement.
According to Putin's advisor Yuri Ushakov, Putin was "very clear" to Trump that a number of agreements discussed around the peace plan should now be "reexamined" by Russia, Tass reports.
Shortly before Lavrov's statement, Putin stated, in a televised meeting with senior military commanders, that the war against Ukraine continues.
The tasks of liberating Donbas, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson are being carried out in stages, in accordance with the plan of the “special military operation,” Putin said of the full-scale Russian invasion, which began in February 2022.
Putin is ordering his forces to take over the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, according to Tass.
