Trump Contradicts Kremlin Claim That Ukraine Drone Strike Targeted Putin Residence | EUROtoday

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (AP) — President Donald Trump on Sunday informed reporters that U.S. officers have decided that Ukraine didn’t goal a residence belonging to Russian President Vladimir Putin in a drone assault final week, disputing Kremlin claims that Trump had initially greeted with deep concern.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov final week stated Ukraine launched a wave of drones at Putin’s state residence within the northwestern Novgorod area that the Russian protection methods have been capable of defeat. Lavrov additionally criticized Kyiv for launching the assault at a second of intensive negotiations to finish the warfare.

The allegation got here only a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had traveled to Florida for talks with Trump on the U.S. administration’s still-evolving 20-point plan aimed toward ending the warfare. Zelenskyy rapidly denied the Kremlin allegation.

Trump stated that “something happened nearby” Putin’s residence however that Americans officers didn’t discover the Russian president’s residence was focused.

“I don’t believe that strike happened,” Trump informed reporters as he traveled again to Washington on Sunday after spending two weeks at his residence in Florida. “We don’t believe that happened, now that we’ve been able to check.”

Trump addressed the U.S. willpower after European officers argued that the Russian declare was nothing greater than an effort by Moscow to undermine the peace effort.

But Trump, not less than initially, had appeared to take the Russian allegations at face worth. He informed reporters final Monday that Putin had additionally raised the matter throughout a cellphone he had with the Russian chief earlier that day. And Trump stated he was “very angry” in regards to the accusation.

By Wednesday, Trump seemed to be downplaying the Russian declare. He posted a hyperlink to a New York Post editorial on his social media platform that raised doubt in regards to the Russian allegation. The editorial lambasted Putin for selecting “lies, hatred, and death” at a second that Trump has claimed is “closer than ever before” to shifting the 2 sides to a deal to finish the warfare.

The U.S. president has struggled to satisfy a pledge to rapidly finish the warfare in Ukraine and has proven irritation with each Zelenskyy and Putin as he tried to mediate an finish to a battle he boasted on the marketing campaign path that he may finish in at some point.

Both Trump and Zelenskyy stated final week they made progress of their talks at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort.

But Putin has proven little curiosity in ending the warfare till all of Russia’s aims are met, together with profitable management of all Ukrainian territory in the important thing industrial Donbas area and imposing extreme restrictions on the scale of Ukraine’s post-war navy and the kind of weaponry it may possess.

Madhani reported from Washington.