Aboard Air Force One: Donald Trump says national security officials have determined that Ukraine did not target a residence belonging to Russian President Vladimir Putin in a drone attack last week, disputing Kremlin claims that the US president had initially greeted with deep concern.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov last week said Ukraine launched a wave of drones at Putin’s state residence in the north-western Novgorod region that the Russian defence systems were able to defeat.
Donald Trump speaks with reporters aboard Air Force One.Credit: AP
Lavrov also criticised Kyiv for launching the attack during a moment of intensive discussions to end the war, adding that Moscow would review its negotiating position as a result.
The allegation came just a day after Volodymyr Zelensky travelled to Florida for talks with Trump on the US administration’s still-evolving 20-point plan aimed at ending the war, and the Ukrainian president quickly denied it.
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“I don’t believe that strike happened,” Trump said as he travelled back to Washington on Sunday after spending two weeks at his home in Florida.
“There is something that happened fairly nearby, but had nothing to do with this.”
Trump addressed the US determination after European officials argued that the Russian claim was nothing more than an effort by Moscow to undermine the peace effort.
But Trump, at least initially, had appeared to take the Russian allegations at face value.
