KEY POINTS
- Russia says it will toughen its stance in Ukraine peace talks after alleged attack on Putin’s residence.
- Moscow claims Ukraine launched 91 drones at Putin’s residence in the Novgorod region.
- Kremlin says Putin raised the issue with Trump and warned the attack would not go unanswered.
- Ukraine has denied carrying out any attack, saying Russia has provided no evidence.
MOSCOW: Russia warned on Tuesday it would “toughen” its negotiating position on Ukraine following what it described as a Ukrainian drone attack targeting President Vladimir Putin’s state residences, an allegation denied by Kyiv.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow’s position in talks aimed at resolving the nearly four-year war would be revised towards a “tougher stance” after the alleged drone attack.
“I find it hard to comment on the impact in detail,” Peskov told reporters as quoted by state-run TASS news agency. “But Russia’s negotiating position will be revised toward a tougher stance.”
On Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Ukraine launched 91 unmanned aerial vehicles at Putin’s residence in the Novgorod region, near Valdai, on the night of December 28–29.
He said all the drones were intercepted by air defences and that there were no casualties or damage from falling debris.
Lavrov described the incident as an act of “state terrorism” carried out amid intensive negotiations to resolve the conflict.
Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said Putin discussed the alleged attack in a phone call with US President Donald Trump, warning that it would not go “unanswered”.
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According to Ushakov, Putin said that the incident occurred “almost immediately” after talks between US and Ukrainian leaders in Mar-a-Lago.
Ushakov said the Russian leader told Trump that Moscow’s position in negotiations would be re-evaluated.
Kremlin says trust with Trump intact
Peskov said the dialogue between Putin and Trump remained based on mutual trust, insisting that the alleged Ukrainian actions would not undermine contacts between the two leaders.
“Such provocations, such acts of state terrorism, cannot undermine this level of mutual trust between the two presidents,” he said.
Peskov added that Russia’s military would decide how and when to respond. “As for the military consequences, our military knows how, with what, and when to respond,” he said.
Ukraine rejects allegations
Ukraine categorically denied carrying out any drone attack on Putin’s residence, saying Russia had provided no evidence to support its claims.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Moscow was making false accusations to manipulate the peace process.
“Almost a day passed and Russia still hasn’t provided any plausible evidence to its accusations of Ukraine’s alleged ‘attack on Putin’s residence.’ And they won’t. Because there’s none. No such attack happened,” Sybiha said in a post on X on December 30.
Almost a day passed and Russia still hasn’t provided any plausible evidence to its accusations of Ukraine’s alleged “attack on Putin’s residence.” And they won’t. Because there’s none. No such attack happened.
We were disappointed and concerned to see the statements by Emirati,…
— Andrii Sybiha 🇺🇦 (@andrii_sybiha) December 30, 2025
Ukrainian officials said Russia had presented no satellite images, video footage or eyewitness accounts to substantiate its version of events.
President Volodymyr Zelensky also dismissed the allegations as “another lie”, warning they could be used as a pretext for further Russian missile strikes on Kyiv and other cities.
The dispute comes at a sensitive moment in diplomatic efforts to end the war. Ukraine says it has agreed to around 90 percent of a US-drafted peace plan, including provisions on post-war security guarantees.
