Zelenskyy’s remarks came after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow’s negotiating position could change following an alleged Ukrainian strike on Putin’s residence in Russia’s Novgorod region overnight
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asserted that the alleged strike story was entirely false and was being used as a pretext to justify further attacks on Ukraine. File pic
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday rejected allegations that Ukraine carried out an attack on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s residence, calling the claims a “fabrication” aimed at undermining diplomatic efforts to end the war, news agency ANI reported.
Zelenskyy’s remarks came after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow’s negotiating position could change following an alleged Ukrainian strike on Putin’s residence in Russia’s Novgorod region overnight. Russia has claimed that long-range drones targeted the presidential state residence, also known as Valdai.
In a post on X, Zelenskyy said Russia was once again resorting to “dangerous statements” to derail ongoing diplomatic efforts involving the United States.
He asserted that the alleged strike story was entirely false and was being used as a pretext to justify further attacks on Ukraine, including Kyiv, as well as Russia’s refusal to take steps towards ending the conflict, ANI reported.
“This alleged ‘residence strike’ story is a complete fabrication intended to justify additional attacks against Ukraine and Russia’s own unwillingness to move towards peace,” Zelenskyy said, adding that such claims reflected what he described as “typical Russian lies”.
The Ukrainian President said Kyiv does not take actions that could undermine diplomacy and accused Russia of repeatedly doing so. He stressed that it was critical for the international community not to remain silent and allow Moscow to derail efforts aimed at achieving a lasting peace, ANI reported.
According to reports cited by EuroNews, Lavrov warned that the alleged attack would not go unanswered and accused Ukraine of launching 91 long-range drones at the residence. However, he did not clarify whether Putin was present at the location at the time of the purported strike.
Zelenskyy dismissed the accusations as “another lie from the Russian Federation”, suggesting that Moscow was reacting to progress in Ukraine’s diplomatic engagement with Washington. He said Russia viewed any absence of discord between Kyiv and the US as a setback for its own interests.
Claims emerge amid peace talks as Kyiv rejects attack allegations
The allegations surfaced shortly after Zelenskyy indicated that a draft peace framework under discussion includes security guarantees from the United States for 15 years, with Ukraine seeking to extend those guarantees for up to 50 years, according to reports.
Ukraine has repeatedly denied targeting Putin or his residence, maintaining that it remains committed to diplomatic efforts to bring the conflict to an end.
(With ANI inputs)
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