'I Don't Like It': Donald Trump Calls Alleged Strike On Putin's Home 'Not The Right Time'

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin told him Ukraine had attempted to attack Putin’s residence in northern Russia, an allegation Kyiv has rejected.

“I don’t like it. It’s not good,” Trump told reporters when asked whether the claim could undermine his efforts to broker peace, as per a Reuters report. “I heard about it from President Putin today. I was very angry about it.”

Calling the moment a sensitive one, Trump said it was inappropriate. “This is a delicate period. 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. This is not the right time to do that,” he said.

Asked whether there was evidence to support the claim, Trump replied: “We’ll find out.”

Trump described his phone call with Putin earlier on Monday as “a very good talk,” while noting that discussions aimed at ending the war in Ukraine involved “a few very thorny issues.”

Russia on Monday accused Ukraine of attempting to attack President Vladimir Putin’s residence and threatened retaliation, offering no evidence for the claim, which Kyiv dismissed as baseless and intended to disrupt difficult peace negotiations.

The sharp exchanges between the two sides — including Russia’s statement that it was reassessing its negotiating position in response to the alleged attack — dealt another blow to hopes for peace in Ukraine.

On Monday, Putin adopted a defiant tone, urging his military to continue efforts to seize full control of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region. The Kremlin reiterated demands that Ukraine withdraw its forces from the remaining areas of the eastern Donbas region still under Kyiv’s control.

According to an aide, Putin told Trump during their Monday call that Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February 2022, was reviewing its position following the reported drone attack.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected the allegation as “a complete fabrication” and accused the Kremlin of refusing to take the steps needed to end the war.

After speaking with Putin, Trump told reporters outside his Palm Beach, Florida, home that he had no additional information about the alleged incident.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Ukraine attempted to strike Putin’s residence in the Novgorod region west of Moscow on December 28–29 using 91 long-range drones, all of which were intercepted by Russian air defences. He said there were no injuries or damage, according to Russian media reports.

“Such reckless actions will not go unanswered,” Lavrov said, calling the alleged attack “state terrorism” and stating that Russia’s armed forces had already selected targets for retaliation.

Reuters could not independently verify Lavrov’s statements. Neither he nor other Russian officials provided evidence for the claims, and it was unclear where Putin was at the time.

Lavrov said the alleged attack occurred during negotiations over a possible peace deal and that Russia would review its negotiating stance but would not withdraw from talks.

Zelensky denied that Ukraine planned such an attack and accused Russia of laying the groundwork for strikes on government buildings in Kyiv.

“It is clear that we met with Trump yesterday, and it is clear that for the Russians, if there is no scandal between us and America and we are making progress, it is a failure for them, because they do not want to end this war,” Zelensky said in remarks to reporters via WhatsApp.

“I am sure they are simply preparing the ground for strikes, probably on the capital, probably on government buildings,” he added.

Trump said his conversation with Putin had been productive. “We have a couple of issues that we’re going to get resolved, hopefully, and if we do, you’re going to have peace,” he said.

Zelensky said that on Sunday a bilateral agreement on security guarantees for Ukraine had been outlined with Trump. Trump said the deal was about 95% complete, while Zelensky said on Monday that he was seeking a 50-year security agreement.

In a wide-ranging interview with state news agency RIA published late Monday, Lavrov said Ukraine and Western countries needed to accept that Russia held the initiative on the battlefield.

“Our principled position remains unchanged. The strategic initiative rests entirely with the Russian army,” Lavrov said.

Trump said he expected European countries to assume “a big part” of security responsibilities with U.S. support, though reaching agreement would be complicated because Russia has said any foreign troop deployment in Ukraine would be unacceptable.

In an interview with Fox News aired late Monday, Zelensky said Ukraine could not win the war without U.S. support and that he did not trust Putin.

“I don’t trust Putin, and he does not want success for Ukraine,” Zelensky said.

Earlier on Monday, Zelensky said two major issues remained unresolved in a 20-point peace proposal: control of the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and the future of the Donbas region.

Russia controls roughly one-fifth of Ukraine, including Crimea, which it annexed in 2014. It claims Donbas — made up of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions — as well as the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, all of which are internationally recognised as Ukrainian territory.

Moscow wants Ukraine to withdraw troops from parts of the Donetsk region it has not captured. Ukraine wants fighting frozen along current front lines, while the United States has proposed a free economic zone if Ukrainian forces pull back.

Emphasising Russia’s determination to maintain its territorial ambitions, Putin said on Monday that his generals should continue efforts to secure the entire Zaporizhzhia region, about 75% of which is already under Russian control.

Colonel-General Mikhail Teplinsky, commander of Russia’s Dnieper military group, told Putin that Russian forces were about 15 km (9.3 miles) from the region’s largest city, Zaporizhzhia.

“In the near future, it is necessary to continue the offensive, together with the East grouping, to liberate Zaporizhzhia,” Putin said in response.