Russia: "Long-range drones launched during negotiations"
Ukraine rebuts: "Russia is lying"
Trump, after call with Putin: "Very angry"
Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) is presiding over a meeting to discuss the special military operation in Ukraine at the Kremlin Palace in Moscow on the 29th (local time). Photo by EPA and Yonhap News
A dispute over the truth has erupted between Russia and Ukraine regarding Russia's claim that Ukraine attacked President Vladimir Putin's residence with drones on the night of the 28th (local time). If, as Russia asserts, Ukraine did carry out the drone attack, the ongoing peace negotiations with the United States, which were approaching their final stage, are expected to face setbacks. On the other hand, Ukraine is strongly refuting the claim, calling it a "lie" fabricated by Russia to justify prolonging the war.
Sergey Lavrov, Russia's Foreign Minister, announced on the 29th that Ukraine launched 91 long-range drones at President Putin's residence in Novgorod Oblast overnight from the 28th to the 29th, and that Russian air defenses shot down all the drones. He emphasized that the drone attack was attempted while Russia and the United States were engaged in negotiations to resolve the conflict in Ukraine.
He stated that, given Ukraine’s shift to a policy of "state terrorism," Russia would revise its stance on the negotiations. He also added that Russia would not let the incident pass without a response, saying that the targets and timing of the Russian military's retaliatory attacks had already been determined.
Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko also claimed, "As soon as the negotiations entered a delicate phase in search of a solution, the Ukrainian authorities took provocative actions based on the logic that they would not allow the conditions for a peaceful agreement to be formed," and asserted that Ukraine's recent provocations were influenced by the United Kingdom.
In contrast, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is refuting Russia’s claim as a "lie" via a messenger application, telling reporters that "Russia is trying to undermine the progress Ukraine and the United States have made in peace negotiations." He also stated, "Moscow is preparing grounds for an attack on the Kyiv government complex," and urged the United States to respond appropriately to the Russian threat.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha also criticized Russia’s claim in a post on X (formerly Twitter), saying that it was fabricated as a pretext and false justification for further attacks on Ukraine and to undermine and disrupt the peace process. Minister Sybiha described this as "a typical Russian tactic-projecting onto others what they themselves have done or are planning to do," and called on the international community to join in condemning Russia for obstructing peace negotiations.
Donald Trump, President of the United States and the de facto "key man" and mediator in the war, appears to have initially sided with President Putin. Before a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, when asked about the drone attack, President Trump said, "It's not good," and "I don't like it." He confirmed the Kremlin’s statement that he had heard about the attack directly from President Putin in a phone call and that he was "very angry." Earlier, Yuri Ushakov, Kremlin foreign policy aide, reported that President Putin had informed President Trump of the drone attack during their phone conversation, and that President Trump was greatly shocked.
When asked whether the United States had obtained evidence supporting Russia's claim, President Trump replied, "Well, we'll find out soon," and added, "I think it's possible, as you say, that the attack did not actually happen." Nevertheless, he also said, "But President Putin told me this morning that it happened."
This news appears to have dampened the previously heightened expectations for an end to the Russia-Ukraine war. The previous day, President Trump, in a joint press conference with President Zelensky, described the progress of mediation talks with the warring parties, including Russia and Ukraine, as "95 percent," but noted that "one or two thorny issues" remained, indicating that complex issues such as territorial disputes were still unresolved.
At this point, the possibility that Russia staged the incident itself cannot be ruled out. In fact, Reuters reported that it was unclear whether President Putin was at his residence at the time Russia claimed the drone attack occurred. Euronews also stated that it could not confirm whether the attack actually took place.
Meanwhile, President Putin, after receiving a report from a Russian military commander that Russian forces had advanced to within about 15 kilometers of the largest city in the Zaporizhzhia region of southern Ukraine, ordered the continuation of military operations to take control of the entire Zaporizhzhia area.
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