Russia to toughen stance in talks after Ukraine’s alleged attack on Putin’s residence

Moscow, Dec 30 (IANS) Russia will toughen its position in the Ukraine negotiations following an alleged Ukrainian attack on the Russian presidential residence in the Novgorod Region, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday.

The diplomatic consequences of the attack would be a hardening of Russia’s negotiating position, Peskov told reporters.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday denied the accusation of the attack, calling it “another lie from the Russian Federation.”

Peskov said the Ukrainian attack aimed at disrupting the negotiation process on ending the Ukrainian conflict, from which Russia is not withdrawing, Xinhua news agency reported.

Russia will continue the dialogue, primarily with the United States, said the spokesman.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday that Kyiv launched an overnight attack involving 91 long-range strike drones, targeting the presidential residence in Novgorod. All drones were shot down and no reports of casualties or damage were received.

US President Donald Trump met with Zelensky at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Sunday, saying that the two sides are “getting a lot closer, maybe very close” to a peace deal to end the Ukraine crisis.

On the other hand, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone call with Trump on the progress in the latest US-Ukraine negotiations, Russian Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov said Monday.

Putin emphasised that the Russian side intends to continue engaging in close and productive cooperation with its US partners to explore pathways toward achieving peace, Ushakov said.

Ushakov also revealed that Trump was shocked and outraged by the news of Kyiv’s overnight drone attack in Novgorod, saying that the US President “could never have imagined such reckless actions on the part of Ukraine.”

/as