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| Putin Tells Trump in Phonecall that Ukraine Just Tried to Drone His Residence - Ukraine Denies It |
| 2025-12-30 |
| [TheTimes] Sergey Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, said Ukraine attacked Putin’s Valdai residence in the Novgorod region. President Zelensky has denied the claims Zelensky said: “It is clear that yesterday we had a meeting with Trump. And it is clear that for the Russians, if there is no scandal for America and we have progress, it is a failure because they do not want to end this war. “I am sure, they are preparing, in principle, the ground for striking probably the capital and probably state buildings.” In an interview with Fox News, which aired later on Monday, Zelensky said: “I don’t trust Putin and he doesn’t want success for Ukraine.” He added that Kyiv could not “win without American support”. Putin had a call with President Trump on Monday, the Kremlin said, during which he told Trump about the alleged attack. The White House said the call had ended “positively”. There is no independent confirmation of the attack. It is unclear whether Putin was present at the residence at the time. There have been no reports of casualties or damage from drone debris. Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s aide, claimed that Trump was “shocked” by the news of an alleged attack immediately after the talks at Mar-a-Lago. He said that it will “undoubtedly” influence the US’s approach to talks. Ushakov claimed the US president had expressed relief that the US did not provide Tomahawk cruise missiles for Ukraine. “The US president was shocked by this news, literally outraged, and said he couldn’t even imagine such crazy actions,” Ushakov said, according to Russian media. “As has been said, this will undoubtedly influence American approaches in the context of working with Zelensky, to whom the current administration, as Trump himself said, ‘thank God, [we] did not give Tomahawks’.” Ushakov added that “such reckless terrorist actions will naturally not go unanswered.” Speaking to reporters outside Mar-a-Lago as he met Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, Trump said he was angry to hear of the alleged attack. “Yeah, I don’t like it. It’s not good. I heard about it this morning. You know who told me about it? President Putin told me about it. Early in the morning, he said he was attacked,” Trump said. He added that it was a “delicate period” for peace talks and that he was “very angry”. Trump said: “This is not the right time. It’s one thing to be offensive, because they’re offensive. It’s another thing to attack his house. It’s not the right time to do any of that.” Asked if he believed Putin’s claim that Ukraine was responsible or had seen evidence, Trump said: “Well, it came out. It came out. Well, we’ll find out. I mean, you’re saying maybe the attack didn’t take place. It’s possible, too, I guess. But President Putin told me this morning it did.” Alexander Grushko, Russia’s deputy foreign minister, told reporters that Kyiv and its Western allies are seeking to disrupt the peace process, pointing blame at the UK and vowing to respond to the “provocation”. Putin has increasingly favoured the secluded and heavily secured Valdai residence during the war as Russia faces drone attacks. Ukrainian media has previously said that the palatial forest hideaway near Lake Valdai has almost as many air defence systems as Moscow. Satellite imagery and independent reporting have shown that the site is reinforced with numerous air defence systems. The Pantsir-S1 air defence system was spotted in the village of Yascherovo close to Putin’s residence in 2023, said Agentstvo, a Russian opposition website that has been banned in Russia. There is not thought to be any military infrastructure in the area. Pantsirs are capable of shooting down aircraft, cruise missiles, drones and helicopters, according to the Russian military. Putin is said to entertain friends, family and pro-Kremlin celebrities at the residence, which is 275 miles north of Moscow. The sprawling lakeside estate contains a four-storey mansion, a swimming pool, a spa complex, a stable, a golf course, as well as an underground cryo chamber and mud bath. The existence of the luxury property was revealed in 2021 by allies of Alexei Navalny, the opposition leader. They alleged that state funds had been used to lease the property from one of Putin’s closest allies, as well as carry out extensive renovations. The complex has long been the subject of scrutiny over its use and occupants. Parts of the estate have been linked to Putin’s alleged mistress, the Olympic gold-medal gymnast Alina Kabaeva, and her children, according to reports. It is alleged to have separate railway access and helipads, interpreted as indicators of the compound’s importance to Putin and his inner circle. Related: Valdai 12/29/2025 Ukrainian Perspective: Invasion of Ukraine: December 28, 2025 Valdai 12/11/2025 Ukrainian Perspective: Invasion of Ukraine: December 10, 2025 Valdai 10/24/2025 Le Figaro: France needs to prepare for war with Russia in three to four years |
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