US casts doubt on Russia's claims of drone attack on Putin's residence
Photo: US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker (president.gov.ua)
The US Ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, said he doubts Russia’s claims that Ukraine attacked the residence of Russian leader Vladimir Putin in an interview with Fox Business.
Whitaker stressed the need to review intelligence assessments by US agencies regarding the incident.
"It’s unclear whether it actually happened," Whitaker said, commenting on Moscow's claims, which Ukraine has denied.
He noted that if such actions were confirmed, they would appear illogical against the backdrop of statements about progress toward peace agreements.
"It seems to me a little indelicate to be this close at a peace deal, Ukraine really wanting to get a peace deal done, and then to do something that would be viewed as reckless or not helpful," the diplomat said.
Whitaker emphasized that the key issue is the conclusion of the US and allied intelligence services on whether the incident took place at all.
Claims of an attack on Putin’s residence
On December 29, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed that Ukrainian drones had attempted to attack Putin’s residence in Russia’s Novgorod region.
A representative of Russia immediately issued threats, asserting that Russia had already identified targets in Ukraine for a retaliatory strike. Lavrov also baselessly accused Kyiv of pursuing a policy of so-called state terrorism.
Notably, Lavrov’s version differs from that of Russia’s Defense Ministry, including discrepancies over the number of drones allegedly involved in the attack.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy quickly responded, calling the claims another Russian lie. He stressed that such information operations are aimed at derailing diplomatic efforts by Ukrainian officials and the team of US President Donald Trump, and could also serve as justification for new strikes on Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia plans to strengthen its negotiating position following the incident. Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry stated that the story of an attack is a fake being used by Russia to derail peace initiatives involving Kyiv and Washington.
