Trump ‘doesn’t believe’ Ukraine targeted Putin residence with drone attack
Trump rubbishes Kremlin’s drone attack claim
- President Trump announced that US officials concluded Ukraine did not target President Putin's residence in a drone attack last week, directly refuting earlier Kremlin claims.
- Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had asserted that Ukraine launched drones at Mr Putin’s state residence in the Novgorod region, claiming Russian defence systems thwarted the assault.
- Mr Lavrov's allegation followed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to Florida for talks with Trump regarding a peace plan for the conflict.
- Initially, Trump expressed 'considerable concern' and 'anger' over the Russian allegations, which he had discussed with Mr Putin.
- However, US officials determined that while 'something happened nearby', Mr Putin's residence was not directly targeted, leading Trump to dismiss the Kremlin's claim.