Russia says Ukraine attacked Putin's residence, Kyiv denies

Ukraine has emphatically denied a Russian allegation that a Ukrainian drone attack targeted one of President Vladimir Putin's residences.

Ukrainian president called it a deliberate lie to hamper progress in peace talks with Donald Trump.

We're moving to a new blog to cover the topic and others.

Latvia's state property administration on Monday said that a long-running project to build a fence along its roughly 280-kilometer (roughly 175-mile) eastern border to Russia had been completed.

It published a press statement and a video, showing patrol paths running along the fence reinforced with barbed wire.  

Interior Minister Rihards Kozlovskis said the new barrier provided "a significant contribution to the security of the population of Latvia and our country," along with a similar fence along the border to Belarus, completed in 2024. 

The EU and NATO member, formerly part of the Soviet Union after being forcibly incorporated in 1940, plans to install further infrastructure and surveillance systems along the borders to Russia and Belarus by the end of 2026.

It began reinforcing the frontiers in the aftermath of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. 

Kozlovskis said the country's "primary goal is to establish the most modern border protection on the EU's eastern border." 

The UN's nuclear watchdog cited its director general, Rafael Grossi, as saying on Monday that power line repairs near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine had been successfully completed. 

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had brokered a local area cease-fire to allow for the repair work, it said. 

"Today's restoration of power transmission between switchyards of [the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant] and Zaporizhzhia Thermal Power Plant is important for ensuring availability of off-site power," the IAEA wrote online. "[Grossi] says both sides engaged constructively with the IAEA to help strengthen nuclear safety during military conflict." 

The plant was seized by Russian forces early in the conflict but is situated close to the battle lines in the contested Zaporizhzhia region. Since its capture it has been largely inactive and offline but still needs a stable external power supply for cooling and other offline activities. Two sets of power lines link it to the Ukrainian power grid.

US President Donald Trump said that President Vladimir Putin of Russia told him during their talk earlier on Monday that Ukraine had tried to attack his residence. Kyiv has denied the Russian claim.

He made the comments during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"I don't like it. It's not good," Trump told reporters during the press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when asked if he was concerned that the allegation could impact his efforts to broker peace in Ukraine.

"I ⁠learned about it from President Putin today. I was very angry about it," Trump said, describing his call with Putin ⁠as a "very ​good talk."

"It's a delicate period of time. This is not the right time. It's one thing to be offensive because they're offensive. It's another thing to attack his house. It's not the right time to do any of that," he added.

When asked if there was any evidence of such an ​attack, Trump said: "We'll find out."

Italy's cabinet approved a decree to keep military aid flowing to Ukraine through 2026, sealing a coalition compromise after weeks of debates.

The new decree is similar to bills approved in the past three years, stating that the government will transfer military vehicles, materials, and equipment to Ukraine.

The right-wing populist League party, led by Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, who has become more critical of providing military aid to Ukraine, called for changes to the text that would put a greater focus on civilian aid. The party also called for arms deliveries to be explicitly labeled as serving defense purposes.

The three-party government later agreed to minor linguistic changes, but did not significantly amend the contents of the decree, which also provides for the extension of residence permits for some Ukrainians in Italy.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who heads the Forza Italia coalition party, welcomed the new bill, which must be approved by parliament within two months.

Since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Italy has sent 12 packages of military aid to Kyiv, though it has never revealed the contents, citing classified information.

According to the Kremlin, President Vladimir Putin told US President Donald Trump that Russia would reconsider its position in peace negotiations following what Moscow described as a Ukrainian drone attack on Putin's residence.

Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said that Putin and Trump had spoken on Monday and that Putin had been briefed by Trump and his senior advisers about Washington's negotiations with Ukraine.

According to Ushakov, Trump was shocked when Putin told him that Ukraine had attacked a presidential residence in the Novgorod region.

"Russia's position will be reviewed," Ushakov said, stressing this would impact both previous and future talks.

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the claim of a Ukrainian attack on Putin's residence a "complete fabrication" and said that Russia was trying to undermine the results of his meeting with Trump.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed Russia's accusations that Ukraine had attempted to attack President Vladimir Putin's residence in the Novgorod region as "lies."

In a social media post, he said that Russia was trying to undermine the progress made in the Ukraine-US peace talks and that Moscow was preparing to attack Ukrainian government buildings in Kyiv.

"This alleged 'residence strike' story is a complete fabrication intended to justify additional attacks against Ukraine, including Kyiv, as well as Russia's own refusal to take necessary steps to end the war," Zelenskyy wrote.

Earlier on Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the alleged attack would alter Moscow's negotiating position and threatened retaliation.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed that Ukraine had tried to attack President Vladimir Putin's residence in the northwestern Novgorod region.

The minister said the attack would alter Moscow's negotiating position and threatened retaliation.

According to Lavrov, Ukraine attacked the Russian president's state residence in the Novgorod region with 91 long-range drones on December 28-29.

It was unclear whether Putin was in the residence at the time. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.

Also on Sunday, Lavrov stated in remarks published by the state-run TASS news agency that any European troop contingent deployed to Ukraine would become legitimate targets for Russia’s armed forces.

Despite ongoing negotiations, Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced that Russia is pressing ahead with its plan to capture thefour Ukrainian regions that it claimed to have annexed in 2022.

"The goal of liberating the Donbas, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions is being carried out in stages, in accordance with the plan of the special military operation," Putin said in a televised meeting with Russian army commanders,

"The troops are confidently advancing," he added.

In the past, Putin's statements about Russian troop movements in Ukraine were frequently unsubstantiated. Russia refers to its full-scale invasion of Ukraine as a "special military operation."

Ukraine and its allies, along with the EU, NATO, and the United Nations, condemned Russia's illegal attempt to annex Ukraine's Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions.

Russian forces currently hold the vast majority of the Luhansk region, while they control Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson only in part.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that territorial issues and the future of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant are the last unresolved parts of the talks aimed at ending the war between Ukraine and Russia.

"Two questions remain: the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant — how will it function — and the issue of territories," Zelenskyy told journalists.

"That is why I said this 20-point plan is 90 percent ready," he added.

Russia has called for Ukraine to withdraw its troops from the eastern Donbas region, a demand Kyiv has rejected.

According to Zelenskyy, the US had offered Ukraine "solid" security guarantees for 15 years, with the option to extend, but Kyiv was seeking a longer period.

"I told him (US President Donald Trump) that we would very much like to consider the possibility of 30, 40 or 50 years," the Ukrainian president said.

Zelenskyy also said that he believed the presence of international troops in Ukraine was a necessary part of the guarantees, something that Russia has previously rejected.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he'd like any offer to end the war with Russia to be signed by Ukraine, Russia, Europe and the US.

He also added Kyiv is ready to "move forward quickly" with the negotiations, while also adding that Ukraine's martial law will be lifted as soon as the war ends with security guarantees for Kyiv.

"Without security guarantees, this war cannot be considered truly over," Zelenskyy told journalists.

"With such a neighbor (Russia), there remains a risk of renewed aggression."

The Kremlin said US President Donald Trump's assessment that talks over ending the war in Ukraine were in the final stages is accurate.

When asked by journalists about Trump's quotes following his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and whether Russia can confirm them, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov replied: "Of course."

Peskov also told reporters a call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin was planned very soon. 

Asked about Moscow's position on occupied Ukrainian terrirtoy, the Kremlin spokesman insisted that Ukraine should withdraw its forces from the eastern Donbas region.

A leading Russian official said the talks between US President Donald Trump and Russia President Vladimir Putin, as well as the talks between the US leader and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy, are positive developments.

According to Konstantin Kosachev, deputy chairman of Russia's upper house of parliament, the Federation Council, the key to reaching and agreement to end Moscow's war in Ukraine would be from the negotiations between Russia and the US rather than Ukraine and the European Union.

"The Europeans will continue to cause trouble, and Zelenskyy will go on nervously smoking on the sidelines," Kosachev posted on Telegram, adding that there is a feeling of "movement" due to the US' position.

A theater that became one of the symbols of the Russian siege on the eastern Ukrainian city of Mariupol has reopened after it has been hugely redeveloped, Russian authorities say.

"Mariupol Drama Theater has reopened its doors for spectators," said Denis Pushilin, the pro-Russian leader of the Donetsk region that includes Mariupol, on his Telegram channel, adding that the theater now has "modern equipment of the highest level."

Mariupol saw some 300,000 of its 540,000 pre-war residents fleeing, with the UN estimating 90% of the buildings in the city were destroyed or damaged by the Russian siege on the city.

According to Amnesty International, at least 12 people were killed in Russia's bombings of the theater in 2022.

Ukraininan President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the current framework offered to end Russia's war in the country includes "strong" security guarantees for Ukraine for 15 years. 

However, Zelenskyy also said Kyiv would look for a longer period, possibly for up to 50 years.

"I told (US President Donald Trump) that we already have a war going on and it has been going on for almost 15 years," Zelenskyy told reporters in a Whatsapp chat, adding that he asked Trump to "consider the possibility of 30, 40, 50 years" of security guarantees, with the US leader saying he would think about it.

According to the Ukrainian leader, a meeting between national security advisors from Ukraine, the US and Europe could take place in the coming days.