Have Russian claims of Ukraine attack on Putin home ended hopes for peace?

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Russia has threatened to retaliate against Ukraine aft alleging that astir 100 drones had targeted 1 of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s residences.

The menace connected Monday was made arsenic United States President Donald Trump tries to broker a bid statement to extremity the warfare successful Ukraine, which volition participate its 5th twelvemonth successful February.

What has Russia claimed?

On Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov alleged that Ukraine had launched the onslaught connected the Valdai residence, 1 of Putin’s residences successful the Novgorod portion successful northwestern Russia. The spot is 360km (225 miles) northbound of Moscow.

Lavrov told reporters that Ukraine had launched 91 drones towards the residence. He added that aerial defence systems changeable down the drones and nary 1 was injured.

The Russian Ministry of Defence said 49 of the drones were changeable down implicit the Bryansk region, 1 was changeable down implicit the Smolensk portion and 41 were changeable down implicit the Novgorod portion portion en route.

“Such reckless actions volition not spell unanswered,” Lavrov said. “The targets for retaliatory strikes and the timing of their implementation by the Russian equipped forces person been determined.”

Russian officials accused Ukraine and its president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, of carrying retired the onslaught to derail the prospects of a bid agreement.

In an evident notation to Zelenskyy, Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev wrote connected X: “The stinking Kiev b**tard is trying to derail the colony of the conflict. He wants war. Well, present astatine slightest he’ll person to enactment successful hiding for the remainder of his worthless life.”

Kremlin overseas argumentation adjutant Yury Ushakov said the onslaught took spot connected Sunday “practically instantly after” talks were held successful Florida betwixt Trump and Zelenskyy connected ending Russia’s warfare connected Ukraine.

After that meeting, Trump and Zelenskyy had voiced optimism, saying a bid woody betwixt Russia and Ukraine was “close”.

Putin has not publically commented connected the onslaught yet. It is unclear wherever Putin was astatine the clip of the attack, but helium was holding meetings successful the Kremlin connected Saturday and Monday.

How has Ukraine responded?

Zelenskyy has powerfully denied Russia’s allegation that Ukraine attacked 1 of Putin’s residences.

“Russia is astatine it again, utilizing unsafe statements to undermine each achievements of our shared diplomatic efforts with President Trump’s team,” Zelenskyy wrote successful an X station connected Monday.

“This alleged ‘residence strike’ communicative is simply a implicit fabrication intended to warrant further attacks against Ukraine, including Kyiv, arsenic good arsenic Russia’s ain refusal to instrumentality indispensable steps to extremity the war.”

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha besides condemned Moscow’s claims, saying they were designed to undermine the negotiations.

In a station connected X, Sybiha said the assertion was intended “to make a pretext and mendacious justification for Russia’s further attacks against Ukraine, arsenic good arsenic to undermine and impede the bid process”.

In different station connected Tuesday, Sybiha wrote: “Almost a time passed and Russia inactive hasn’t provided immoderate plausible grounds to its accusations of Ukraine’s alleged ‘attack connected Putin’s residence.’ And they won’t. Because there’s none. No specified onslaught happened.”

How has Trump reacted?

Trump appeared to judge the Russian mentation of events connected Monday erstwhile helium told reporters: “It’s 1 happening to beryllium offensive. It’s different happening to onslaught his house. It’s not the close clip to bash immoderate of that. And I learned astir it from President Putin today. I was precise aggravated astir it.”

But erstwhile reporters asked Trump if US quality agencies had grounds of the alleged attack, Trump said: “We’ll find out.”

Congressman Don Bacon, a subordinate of Trump’s Republican Party, criticised the president for accepting the Russian relationship of events without assessing the facts.

“President Trump and his squad should get the facts archetypal earlier assuming blame. Putin is simply a good known boldface liar,” Bacon wrote successful an X post.

How person different satellite leaders reacted?

Like Trump, different leaders appeared to judge the Russian allegations.

In a connection released connected Monday, the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote: “The United Arab Emirates has powerfully condemned the effort to people the residence of His Excellency Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation, and denounced this deplorable onslaught and the menace it poses to information and stability.”

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote successful an X station connected Tuesday: “Deeply acrophobic by reports of the targeting of the residence of the President of the Russian Federation.”

Modi added that the ongoing diplomatic engagement being led by the US is the “most viable path” towards achieving peace. “We impulse each acrophobic to stay focused connected these efforts and to debar immoderate actions that could undermine them.”

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif besides condemned the alleged attack.

“Pakistan condemns the reported targeting of the residence of His Excellency Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation. Such a heinous enactment constitutes a sedate menace to peace, security, and stability, peculiarly astatine a clip erstwhile efforts aimed astatine bid are underway,” Sharif wrote connected X.

“Pakistan expresses its solidarity with the President of the Russian Federation, and with the authorities and radical of Russia.”

Have Putin’s residences antecedently been attacked?

Russia has made erstwhile claims of Ukrainian attacks connected Putin’s residences, including connected the Kremlin, Putin’s authoritative residence and main workplace.

In May 2023, Moscow alleged that Ukraine had deployed 2 drones to onslaught Putin’s residence successful the Kremlin citadel but said its forces had disabled the drones. Kyiv denied immoderate involvement.

On December 25, 2024, Russia alleged that it had intercepted and destroyed a Ukrainian drone besides targeting the Kremlin. Kyiv again denied responsibility.

Conversely, Ukraine has alleged that Russia has attacked Kyiv and different authorities buildings successful Ukraine.

In September, the Ukrainian subject said a Russian drone onslaught damaged a authorities gathering successful Kyiv that is location to Ukraine’s cabinet. Plumes of fume were seen emerging from the building. Russia said it had targeted Ukrainian subject infrastructure only.

What has Russia present threatened to do?

While Russia has not outright threatened to extremity the bid talks, Moscow said it would realign its presumption successful the talks.

“The diplomatic effect volition beryllium to toughen the negotiating presumption of the Russian Federation,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters connected Tuesday.

Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Maria Zakharova warned that Moscow’s effect “would not beryllium diplomatic”. Indeed, it has warned that it plans to deed backmost militarily but has fixed nary details of however oregon erstwhile it mightiness bash this.

Will this derail the US-led bid talks?

Speaking to reporters aft his “terrific” meeting with Zelenskyy connected Sunday astatine his Mar-a-Lago residence successful Palm Beach, Florida, Trump told reporters that Moscow and Kyiv were “closer than ever” to a bid deal.

But Trump has made this assertion respective times before. In April, Trump said Russia and Ukraine were “very adjacent to a deal” aft Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff met with Putin successful Moscow.

On December 15, Trump besides said Russia and Ukraine were “closer than ever” to a woody aft talks successful Berlin involving Zelenskyy and the leaders of France, Germany, the United Kingdom and NATO.

However, observers and analysts said the contented of territorial concessions remains a large sticking point. Trump’s 28-point bid plan for Ukraine, which helium unveiled successful November, progressive Ukraine ceding ample amounts of onshore that Russia has occupied during astir 4 years of war. Zelenskyy has stated connected galore occasions that this is simply a enactment Ukraine volition not cross.

Most analysts are sceptical that immoderate advancement has been made connected this constituent and said the latest accusations against Ukraine volition astir apt person small effect. “I don’t deliberation determination is thing to derail astatine this point,” said Marina Miron, an expert astatine King’s College London.

The bid process “is not going good owed to disagreements connected cardinal issues betwixt Ukraine and Russia”, she told Al Jazeera.

“Trump has repeatedly claimed that a bid woody is adjacent without sustainable agreement,” Keir Giles, a Russian subject adept astatine the London deliberation vessel Chatham House, told Al Jazeera this month.

Russia has occupied astir 20 percent of eastbound Ukraine and has been dilatory gaining territory arsenic Ukraine’s subject has been weakened by desertions, casualties and dwindling subject aid. Moscow annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula successful 2014.

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“It’s astir apt intolerable that Ukrainians volition voluntarily retreat from these territories unless we volition besides spot a withdrawal of Russian forces connected the different side,” Nathalie Tocci, manager astatine the Rome-based deliberation vessel Istituto Affari Internazionali (Institute of International Affairs), told Al Jazeera.

Giles said determination are inactive parallel dialog tracks, nevertheless – 1 involving the US and Ukraine and different betwixt Ukraine and European nations. He added, however, that determination is nary wide grounds that these efforts are afloat coordinated oregon aligned successful presumption of strategy.

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