Trump: US believes Ukraine did not strike Putin residence, despite Russian claims |
ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (AP) — US President Donald Trump on Sunday told reporters that US officials have determined that Ukraine did not target a residence belonging to Russian President Vladimir Putin in a drone attack last week, disputing Kremlin claims that Trump had initially greeted with deep concern.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov last week said Ukraine launched a wave of drones at Putin’s state residence in the northwestern Novgorod region that the Russian defense systems were able to defeat. Lavrov also criticized Kyiv for launching the attack at a moment of intensive negotiations to end the war.
The allegation came just a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had traveled to Florida for talks with Trump on the US administration’s still-evolving 20-point plan aimed at ending the war. Zelensky quickly denied the Kremlin’s allegation.
Trump said that “something happened nearby” Putin’s residence but that American........