The goal of the “terrorist act” was to derail Washington’s mediation efforts, spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said
Kiev’s attempt to strike the official residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin was also an attempt to undermine US President Donald Trump’s goal to mediate a resolution to the Ukraine conflict, the Kremlin has said.
The incident, which involved 91 kamikaze drones that were shot down before they reached the state premises in the Novgorod Region, was disclosed by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Monday. Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky, who met with Trump last weekend in Miami, has denied responsibility for the attack.
The attempted assault was “an act of terrorism aimed at derailing the negotiations, and not just President Putin personally,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry said on Tuesday, noting that, in his Christmas address, Zelensky had said his and every Ukrainian citizen’s wish for the holiday was death to “him” – understood to be Russia’s leader.
“This was directed against Trump, against President Trump’s efforts to facilitate peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict,” he added. Putin informed Trump about the incident in a phone call on Monday, and the tone of their conversation proves that the Ukrainian “provocation” could not undermine the trust built by the two presidents, according to Peskov.
Trump said he was “very angry” after hearing the news, recalling Zelensky’s request for long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles, which he declined earlier this year. Putin’s foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov previously said Trump had mentioned the Tomahawks in their call.
Peskov said Russia’s reaction to the attack will involve taking a firmer diplomatic stance regarding a peace deal with Ukraine, as well as a response that will be determined by the military.
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