Ukrainian President Zelenskyy refuted Russia's claim of a drone strike on Putin's residence as a 'fabrication' to justify more attacks. He affirmed Ukraine's commitment to diplomacy, contrasting it with Russia's 'dangerous statements'.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday said that the alleged strike by Ukraine on Russian President Vladimir Putin's residence is a "fabrication" and that Ukraine will not take steps to undermine diplomacy. Zelenskyy's response came after Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow's negotiating position would change after alleged strikes on Putin's Novgorod region residence overnight on Monday. In a post on X, Zelenskyy said, "Russia is at it again, using dangerous statements to undermine all achievements of our shared diplomatic efforts with President Trump's team. We keep working together to bring peace closer. This alleged "residence strike" story is a complete fabrication intended to justify additional attacks against Ukraine, including Kyiv, as well as Russia's own refusal to take necessary steps to end the war. Typical Russian lies. Furthermore, the Russians have already targeted Kyiv in the past, including the Cabinet of Ministers building." https://x.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/2005667779894993080?s=20 Zelenskyy said the claim was an attempt to undermine his efforts to achieve peace.
"Ukraine does not take steps that can undermine diplomacy. To the contrary, Russia always takes such steps. This is one of many differences between us. It is critical that the world doesn't stay silent now. We cannot allow Russia to undermine the work on achieving a lasting peace," he added.
Russia Vows Retaliation
Sources from EuroNews quoted Lavrov as saying, "Such reckless actions will not go unanswered." He accused Ukraine of launching 91 long-range drones targeting the presidential state residence, also known as Valdai. Lavrov did not clarify whether Putin was present at the residence during the alleged attack.
Zelenskyy Links Allegations to US Diplomacy
Zelenskyy called it "another lie from the Russian Federation". "It is clear that yesterday we had a meeting with (US President Donald) Trump, and it is clear that for the Russians, if there is no scandal between us and America, and we are making progress, for them it is a failure," Zelenskyy said, as quoted by EuroNews.
US-Ukraine Peace Framework
The allegations came after Zelenskyy said that the current draft peace framework includes 15 years of security guarantees from the US, with Kyiv pushing for that to be extended for up to 50 years, as per Politico. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)