Russia Claims Ukraine Targeted Putin Residence, Vows To Retaliate

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claimed Ukraine targeted one of President Vladimir Putin's residences and said Moscow will retaliate and review its stance in negotiations seeking an end to its ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the claim that Kyiv targeted the residence in the Novgorod region northwest of Moscow a "lie."

He asserted that Russia was seeking to undermine US-Ukraine talks on the war and "preparing the ground to carry out strikes -- most likely on the [Ukrainian] capital and on government buildings."

Asked about Moscow's allegations, US President Donald Trump said he learned about it from Putin himself and it made him "very angry." "It's a very delicate time," Trump said to journalists referring to Ukraine peace talks as he welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his private residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, on December 29.

Trump pointed out that he had refused to provide Ukraine with the Tomahawk missiles that Kyiv was asking for to hit Russian military targets and disable Russian armed forces' capacity for ground and air attacks. "It's one thing to be offensive, because they're offensive. It's another thing to attack his house. It's not the right time to do any of that," the US president added.

The Russian allegation came one day after Zelenskyy and Trump touted what they said was progress at a meeting in Florida, with the US president -- who spoke by phone to Putin hours before the meeting -- saying a peace deal to end the nearly four-year full-scale invasion could be "closer than ever."

Moscow has signaled it is not prepared to make substantial concessions.

Russia Claims Ukraine Carried Out 'Terrorist Attack'

In a statement posted on Telegram on December 29, Lavrov claimed that Ukraine used 91 drones in what he called a "terrorist attack," but that all of them were shot down and there were no reports of damage so far.

Lavrov said that Russia would not leave the attack unanswered and has selected "targets and timing" for retaliatory strikes.

He said that because Ukraine's government, which he called the "criminal Kyiv regime," had resorted to "a policy of state terrorism," Russia's "negotiating position will be reviewed." He did not elaborate.

Russian officials have used similar language to describe the Ukrainian government in the past, and Putin has repeatedly claimed that Zelenskyy is not a legitimate leader because an election was not held in 2024.

Elections in Ukraine are barred under martial law, which has been in effect since Russia launched the full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Lavrov did not name the residence, but the location in the Novgorod region suggested that it is a well-protected compound at Valdai, a lakeside town whose forested location Putin has favored over other state residences since he launched the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, an investigation by Systema, RFE/RL's Russian investigative unit, found this year.

In a statement, Zelenskyy called Lavrov's claim "another lie by the Russian Federation," adding that "it is clear that for [Russia], if there is no scandal between us and the United States and instead there is progress, this is a failure for them. Because they do not want this war to end. They can only be forced to end it through pressure."

'Strong' Security Guarantees

Hours before Lavrov's post, Zelenskyy said the US has offered Ukraine "strong" security guarantees for 15 years as part of a peace deal to end the war with Russia, with Kyiv looking for a longer pledge from Washington to keep Moscow in check.

"I told him (Trump) that we already have a war going on and it has been going on for almost 15 years. And so I really wanted the guarantees to be longer," Zelenskyy told ⁠reporters in a WhatsApp chat a day after meeting Trump in Florida.

He was referring to Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea, which preceded Moscow's full-scale invasion in February 2022.

"I told him that we really want to consider the possibility of 30, 40, 50 years. The president said he would think about it," Zelenskyy added.

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Tanks On The Tree: Russian Military Ornaments Are Out In Force This Year

"Without security guarantees, this war is not really over. We cannot admit that it is over. Because there may be a risk of renewed aggression from such a neighbor."

The two leaders met at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, on December 28 for talks on a deal to end Europe's longest and deadliest conflict since World War II, with both calling the session "productive" and "substantive" even though no breakthrough was reached.

Zelenskyy said in his chat with reporters that some issues of the 20-point peace plan remain unresolved and he called for a meeting of national-security advisers from the two countries, as well as from Europe, in the "coming days."

Trump's meeting with Zelenskyy was the culmination of weeks of phone and shuttle diplomacy in efforts to end Russia's full-scale war on Ukraine -- which has killed or wounded more than 1.5 million soldiers on both sides in nearly four years.

The meeting also marked the latest instance in which participants touted "progress" and "results" but did not provide details and vowed additional talks.

Following two hours of talks, Trump asserted that peace discussions were "moving in the right direction." He did not mention the possibility of hosting leaders in Washington in January.

Trump and Zelenskyy also conducted a call with European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and NATO chief Mark Rutte.

Zelenskyy told reporters that any peace plan must be signed by Ukraine, Europe, the United States, and Russia, adding that Kyiv hoped to "move forward quickly" and was "open" to any format of meetings.

Kyiv has been adamant in receiving security guarantees -- particularly from the United States but also from Europe -- and has resisted the Kremlin's hard-line demands that include ceding Ukrainian territory to Russia.

One of the critical issues at the heart of negotiations over territory is the fate of the eastern Donbas region.

Most of that territory is under Russian control, and Moscow has demanded that Kyiv turn over the parts Russia does not hold. That includes two major cities -- Kramatorsk and Slovyansk -- which are linchpins for Ukrainian defenses in the area.

During the joint news conference, Trump said that territorial issues -- including the future of the Donbas region -- had not been settled and were proving to be "a very tough issue."

Amid the diplomacy and negotiations, Russia has shown little inclination for compromise, even refusing to consider a Christmas truce proposed by Zelenskyy.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists in Moscow on December 29 that he agreed with the assessment that the talks were in the final stage, but he also reiterated Putin's stance that Ukraine ‍should withdraw its troops from Donbas to move the process forward.

Deadlock Frustrating President Trump

Trump, who said during his election campaign he could settle the war in one day, has been frustrated by his inability to use what he sees as his businessman’s acumen to end the conflict.

He has dispatched his chief envoy, Steve Witkoff, to Moscow six times to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump himself met with the Russian leader in Alaska in August.

Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump son-in-law Jared Kusher, and defense chief Pete Hegseth joined the Trump meeting with Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian's third with the US president since January.

Shortly before the December 28 talks began, Trump and Putin spoke by phone, a surprise call that the Kremlin said lasted more than an hour and was done at Trump's request. In a post to social media, Trump described it as "good and very productive."

Peskov said the two leaders would hold another call "very soon."

Putin's chief foreign policy aide, Yury Ushakov, said Putin and Trump agreed to not support a push for a temporary cease-fire ahead of a settlement -- a call Zelenskyy reiterated in his December 29 session with journalists.

Zelenskyy said a 60-day cease-fire was needed to allow for a referendum to be held in Ukraine over any peace plan.

Russia isn't interested in any type of cease-fire, "for now," Zelenskyy added.

Last month, the White House proposed a 28-point plan that was seen as heavily favorable to Russia. Zelenskyy and his negotiators -- along with Kyiv’s European allies -- have sought to draft counterproposals.

Zelenskyy’s 20-point plan, released last week, paved the way for the Ukrainian leader to fly to the United States and meet with Trump.