Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday (December 29, 2025) that Ukraine had tried to attack President Vladimir Putin’s residence in the Novgorod region and so Moscow’s negotiating position would be reviewed.
Mr. Lavrov said that on December 28-29, Ukraine had attacked the Russian president’s state residence in the Novgorod region with 91 long-range drones which were all destroyed by Russian air defences.
“Such reckless actions will not go unanswered,” Mr. Lavrov said, adding that the attack amounted to “state terrorism.”
He said that targets had already been selected for retaliatory strikes by Russia’s armed forces.
Mr. Lavrov noted that the attack took place during negotiations about a possible Ukrainian peace deal and that while Russia would not leave the negotiations, Moscow’s position will be reviewed.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the accusation was a lie, adding that Moscow was preparing the ground to strike government buildings in Kyiv.
It was not immediately clear if Mr. Putin was in the residence at the time.
Putin told Trump that Russia will review peace talks stance after drone attack on residence
Mr. Putin told U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday (December 29, 2025) that Russia would review its position in peace negotiations after what Moscow said was a Ukrainian drone attack on a Russian presidential residence, the Kremlin said.
Ukraine has dismissed Russia’s accusation that 91 drones attacked Putin’s residence in northern Russia as a lie, and has accused Moscow — which has not yet presented evidence to back its assertions — of attempting to undermine peace talks.
Yuri Ushakov, Kremlin foreign policy aide, said that Mr. Putin and Mr. Trump had spoken on Monday (December 29, 2025) and that Mr. Putin had been briefed by Mr. Trump and his senior advisers about Washington’s negotiations with Ukraine.
“According to the Americans, during these negotiations the American side aggressively pursued the idea of the need for Kyiv to take real steps towards a final settlement of the conflict, not to hide behind demands for a temporary ceasefire,” Mr. Ushakov told reporters on a conference call.
Mr. Ushakov said that the Russian side feared that the ideas put forward by Ukraine to the Americans could still be interpreted too broadly by Kyiv.
Mr. Trump had been shocked when Putin told him that Ukraine had attacked a presidential residence in Novgorod, Mr. Ushakov said.
“Russia’s position will be reviewed on a number of agreements reached at the previous stage and on the emerging interchanges,” Mr. Ushakov said. “This was stated very clearly.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier said that the claim of a Ukrainian attack on Mr. Putin’s residence was “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.”
