Russia says it will take a more hardline stance in negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine after claiming Kyiv tried to attack a Russian presidential residence – allegations Ukraine says Moscow has fabricated to justify further aggression.
Accusations and counteraccusations are rife as the war rages and the push for peace remains precarious.
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Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday that the alleged drone attack on one of President Vladimir Putin’s residences in Novgorod, a region in northwestern Russia, had been intended to derail recent diplomatic efforts to negotiate an end to the conflict.
“This terrorist action is aimed at collapsing the negotiation process,” Peskov said, adding that Russia’s military knows when and how it will respond.
“The diplomatic consequence will be to toughen the negotiating position of the Russian Federation.”
Russia said on Monday that Putin’s residence had been targeted by Ukraine with 91 long-range drones that had been shot down by air defence systems with no one injured.
‘No such attack happened’
Ukraine has denied that the attack took place, calling the Russian allegations “false claims” intended to undermine the peace process.
In a post on X, Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha said Moscow had not provided any plausible evidence to back up its accusations.
“And they won’t. Because there’s none. No such attack happened,” he said on Tuesday.
Sybiha said Russia has “a long record of false claims”, calling them its “signature tactic”.
“They also often accuse others of what they themselves plan to do,” he said. “Their words should never be taken at face value.”
He added that Ukraine was ”disappointed and concerned“ by statements by the United Arab Emirates, India and Pakistan expressing concern over what he said was an attack that never happened.
Asked by reporters whether Russia could provide evidence of the drone attack, Peskov said air defences shot the drones down but the question of wreckage was for the Ministry of Defence.
He said attempts by Ukraine and Western media to deny the incident were “insane”.
No evidence has been provided by Russia. The Defence Ministry has issued only a statement that said 91 drones had been shot down while they were heading to Putin’s Novgorod residence, which is about 360km (225 miles) north of Moscow.
Speaking on Monday, United States President Donald Trump, who has spearheaded the push to broker peace in Ukraine, said he had been informed of the alleged attack in a phone call with Putin.
“I was very angry about it,” he said, adding that he would find out whether there was evidence to support the allegation.
European leaders hold talks
The dispute over the attack played out as key leaders from Europe and Canada held discussions on advancing the peace process.
After the talks, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz posted on social media that the group was “moving the peace process forward”.
“Transparency and honesty are now required from everyone – including Russia,” he wrote.
In the wake of the meeting, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said at a government meeting that he believed peace could be achieved in Ukraine in a matter of weeks.
“Peace is on the horizon. There is no doubt that things have happened that give grounds for hope that this war can end, and quite quickly, but it is still a hope, far from 100 percent certain,” Tusk said.
“When I say peace is on the horizon, I’m talking about the coming weeks, not the coming months or years. By January, we’ll all have to come together … to make decisions about the future of Ukraine, the future of this part of the world.”
He said security guarantees offered by Washington to Kyiv gave a reason to believe the conflict could end soon but Ukraine would need to compromise on territorial issues.
Russia wants Kyiv to withdraw its troops from the parts of the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine that Moscow has failed to occupy in almost four years of war.
It remains the key sticking point in the talks, ceding territory or not.
Kyiv wants fighting halted along the current front lines, and Washington has proposed a free economic zone if Ukraine pulls its forces back.
Zelenskyy has insisted Kyiv won’t give up land and the nation’s constitution also forbids it.
Black Sea ports attacked
As leaders met for talks, Kyiv said Russia had attacked infrastructure in the Odesa region, damaging a civilian ship and facilities in the Black Sea ports of Pivdennyi and Chornomorsk, which are crucial for Ukraine’s foreign trade and integral to its wartime economy.
In a post on Telegram, Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Kuleba said a Panama-flagged civilian ship loaded with grain was damaged and oil storage tanks hit with one person wounded.
“This is yet another targeted attack by Russia on civilian port infrastructure. The enemy is trying to disrupt logistics and complicate shipping,” Kuleba said.
Despite the attacks, both ports continued to operate, he said.
Meanwhile, Ukraine ordered the evacuation of several hundred people from 14 settlements in the northern region of Chernihiv, which borders Moscow-allied Belarus and which, Ukraine said, has been the target of daily Russian shelling.