4 months ago
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President Donald Trump connected Sunday (January 4, 2026) told reporters that U.S. officials person determined that Ukraine did not people a residence belonging to Russian President Vladimir Putin successful a drone onslaught past week, disputing Kremlin claims that Mr. Trump had initially greeted with heavy concern.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov past week said Ukraine launched a question of drones astatine Mr. Putin’s authorities residence successful the northwestern Novgorod portion that the Russian defence systems were capable to defeat. Mr. Lavrov besides criticized Kyiv for launching the onslaught astatine a infinitesimal of intensive negotiations to extremity the war.
The allegation came conscionable a time aft Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had travelled to Florida for talks with Mr. Trump connected the U.S. administration's still-evolving 20-point plan aimed astatine ending the war, and had Mr. Zelenskyy rapidly contradict it.
Mr. Trump said that “something happened nearby” Mr. Putin's residence but that Americans officials didn't find the Russian President's residence was targeted.
“I don’t judge that onslaught happened," Mr. Trump told reporters arsenic helium travelled backmost to Washington connected Sunday (January 4) aft spending 2 weeks astatine his location successful Florida. “We don't judge that happened, present that we've been capable to check.”
Mr. Trump addressed the U.S. determination aft European officials argued that the Russian claim was thing much than an effort by Moscow to undermine the bid effort.
But Mr. Trump, astatine slightest initially, had appeared to instrumentality the Russian allegations astatine look value. He told reporters past Monday (December 29, 2025) that Mr. Putin had besides raised the substance during a telephone helium had with the Russian person earlier that day. And Trump said helium was “very angry” astir the accusation.
By Wednesday (December 31, 2025), Mr. Trump appeared to beryllium downplaying the Russian claim. He posted a nexus to a New York Post editorial connected his societal media level that raised uncertainty astir the Russian allegation. The editorial lambasted Mr. Putin for choosing "lies, hatred, and death” astatine a infinitesimal that Mr. Trump has claimed is “closer than ever before” to moving the 2 sides to a woody to extremity the war.
The U.S. President has struggled to fulfill a pledge to rapidly extremity the warfare successful Ukraine and has shown irritation with some Mr. Zelenskyy and Mr. Putin arsenic helium tried to mediate an extremity to a struggle helium boasted connected the run way that helium could extremity successful 1 day.
Both Mr. Trump and Mr. Zelenskyy said past week they made advancement successful their talks astatine Mr. Trump's Mar-a-Lago edifice connected a 20-point bid plan.
But Mr. Putin has shown small involvement successful ending the warfare until each of Russia's objectives are met, including winning power of each Ukrainian territory successful the cardinal concern Donbas portion and imposing terrible restrictions connected the size of Ukraine's post-war subject and the benignant of weaponry it tin possess.
