President Donald Trump has carefully distinguished between battlefield operations and attacks on personal residences following allegations that Ukraine targeted Vladimir Putin’s home. Trump expressed his anger after learning about the incident from Putin during their phone conversation.
Russian officials claim that Ukraine launched 91 unmanned aerial vehicles toward Putin’s Novgorod region property, all of which were intercepted by air defense systems. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov characterized the alleged attempt as evidence of Ukraine’s shift to “state terrorism.”
Trump’s public comments emphasized that while he recognizes Ukraine’s right to conduct military operations, targeting a world leader’s personal residence represents a different category of action. He suggested such attacks were particularly problematic during a period when peace negotiations were showing promise.
President Zelensky completely rejected the allegations, describing them as Russian lies designed to undermine peace efforts. He accused Moscow of fabricating the incident to justify planned strikes against Ukrainian government buildings and to sabotage the diplomatic progress achieved with Trump’s team.
The controversy comes just one day after Trump and Zelensky met and expressed optimism about peace prospects. The Kremlin’s announcement that Russia would reassess negotiations following Trump’s call with Putin demonstrates how the incident has impacted diplomatic efforts.