The war between Ukraine and Russia, which began nearly four years ago, continues as diplomatic efforts to end the conflict intensify. US President Donald Trump has been actively pushing for a negotiated settlement between the two sides. Against this backdrop, allegations of drone attacks on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s residence have triggered fresh tensions.
Russia has accused Ukraine of carrying out drone attacks on Putin’s residence between December 28 and 29, a claim that Kyiv has categorically denied. In the wake of these allegations, President Trump held a phone conversation with President Putin on Monday. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the discussion between the two leaders was positive. However, Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov said Trump expressed anger over the alleged attacks, adding that the US President told Putin that Washington had not supplied missiles to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and that he had not anticipated such actions.
Earlier, during a recent meeting with Zelensky in Florida, Trump stated that diplomatic efforts to end the Russia–Ukraine war were in their final stages. He clarified that there was no fixed deadline for concluding the conflict and emphasised that the primary focus remained on achieving peace.
The alleged drone attacks have gained significance amid these negotiations. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed that Ukraine launched 91 long-range drones on the night of December 28 targeting Putin’s residence. While stating that Russia would not withdraw from peace talks, Lavrov accused Ukraine of attempting to derail diplomatic efforts and said Moscow was identifying targets for potential retaliatory measures.
Ukraine has strongly rejected the allegations. President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of trying to undermine peace initiatives led by the United States and Ukraine, and of seeking a pretext to escalate tensions, including justifying possible attacks on official residences in Kyiv.