Russia’s high diplomat stated Monday, hours after President Trump touted progress towards a ceasefire to finish the warfare in Ukraine, that Moscow’s negotiating place would change following an alleged try by Ukraine to assault one in all President Vladimir Putin’s far-flung residences.
Sergey Lavrov, an in depth Putin confidant and Russia’s longtime overseas minister, stated the Kremlin had already selected retaliatory measures towards Ukraine, which he didn’t elucidate.
Lavrov accused Ukraine of launching dozens of drones to focus on Putin’s residence within the Novgorod area, a whole lot of miles from Moscow and close to Russia’s western borders with the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Lavrov stated 91 Ukrainian drones have been intercepted and there have been no casualties and no injury induced.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shortly issued a press release calling the Russian accusation “lies” and an effort to undermine the peace talks being spearheaded by the Trump administration.
Ukranian Presidency/Handout/Anadolu/Getty
President Trump met with Zelenskyy Sunday on the American chief’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, after which Mr. Trump claimed once more that Putin was dedicated to peace and that, “Russia needs to see Ukraine succeed.”
That comment drew appreciable consideration, on condition that Putin and his aides have repeatedly dismissed Ukraine’s proper to even exist as an unbiased nation.
White Home spokesperson Karoline Leavitt stated in a social media put up that Mr. Trump held one other “constructive name with President Putin regarding Ukraine” on Monday, however she provided no additional element of the dialogue, and it was unclear whether or not the presidents had spoken earlier than or after Moscow accused Kyiv of concentrating on Putin’s residence.
Lavrov didn’t say how or when Russia would change its negotiating place within the talks to finish the warfare, almost 4 years since Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which his authorities nonetheless refers to solely as a particular army operation. However Putin himself stated earlier on Monday, throughout a gathering together with his army commander, that “within the close to future, it’s essential to proceed the offensive.”
Sputnik/Mikhail Metzel/Pool through REUTERS 
Putin even voiced optimism that Russian forces would have the ability to seize management of all 4 areas of japanese Ukraine that he declared dominion over about seven months into the full-scale invasion — Donetsk and Luhansk within the Donbas, together with Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
Ukraine and its European companions have lengthy warned that Putin’s ongoing engagement with the Trump administration on Ukraine can be a play for time, as his army additional expands its management over Ukrainian territory.
Zelenskyy stated after his Sunday talks with Mr. Trump that he believed the U.S. and Ukraine had reached about 90% settlement on a draft 20-point peace plan, however each males acknowledged there have been lingering points. These embody Russia’s unflinching demand that it’s given sovereignty over your entire Donbas.
Ukraine, together with its European companions, has constantly rejected the concept of rewarding Russia’s unilateral assault with territorial concessions, noting that it might set a harmful precedent unseen in Europe because the landgrab by Adolf Hitler firstly of what would turn into World Struggle II.
Regardless of Putin having proven no willingness to bend on his demand for an growth of Russia’s territory, Mr. Trump claimed Sunday that Ukraine and Russia have been “nearer than ever earlier than” to a peace settlement.
Zelenskyy stated after the assembly in Mar-a-Lago that Putin’s phrases should match his actions. Zelenskyy and Mr. Trump met only a day after Russia launched one other blistering assault on Ukraine’s capital metropolis of Kyiv.
