Russia accused Ukraine on Monday of attempting an attack on President Vladimir Putin’s northern residence. Despite Kyiv’s denials, US President Donald Trump expressed that he was “very angry” about the reported incident. 

“It’s a delicate period of time. This is not the right time,” Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, referring to ongoing peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. 

“It’s one thing to be offensive, because [Russia is] offensive, it’s another thing to attack [Putin’s] house. It’s not the right time to do any of that. I was very angry about it,” he added.

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow was reviewing its position in talks to end the war in Ukraine after what it described as an overnight drone attack on Putin’s residence in the Novgorod region. According to Lavrov, Ukraine launched 91 long-range drones, all of which were shot down by Russian air defence systems, with no injuries or damage reported.

Zelenskyy calls Russia’s claim a fabrication

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejected Russia’s version of events, calling the claim “a complete fabrication intended to justify additional attacks against Ukraine” and to weaken peace talks. He made the remarks in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

“Although the Russians are spreading fakes to justify their strikes on Ukraine and the further prolongation of this war, the key intelligence services of the world must possess real information,” Zelenskyy wrote.

Later on Monday, Trump appeared to support Russia’s account of the incident.

“I don’t like it, it’s not good. I heard about it this morning. You know who told me about it? President Putin told me about it. Early in the morning he said he was attacked. That’s no good, it’s no good,” Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida.

When asked whether there was evidence of the alleged attack, Trump said, “Well, we’ll find out. You’re saying maybe the attack didn’t take place? That’s possible, I guess, but President Putin told me this morning.”

White House confirms call with Putin

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that Trump had spoken with Putin, saying in a post on X that the president had “concluded a positive call with President Putin concerning Ukraine.”

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US Representative Don Bacon, a Republican from Nebraska, later criticised Trump for appearing to side with Russia, accusing Putin of repeatedly lying.

“President Trump and his team should get the facts first before assuming blame. Putin is a well known boldface liar,” Bacon wrote on X.

Russia warns of retaliation

Russia has since warned it will respond to Ukraine and said it has already selected targets for retaliation.

“Such reckless actions will not go unanswered. The targets for retaliatory strikes and the timing of their implementation by the Russian armed forces have been determined,” Lavrov said.

Zelenskyy warned that Russia would use the alleged incident as justification for further attacks on Ukraine, including strikes on government buildings in Kyiv.

“Russia is at it again, using dangerous statements to undermine all achievements of our shared diplomatic efforts with President Trump’s team. We keep working together to bring peace closer,” he wrote.

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The Russian claims come a day after Trump and Zelenskyy met for three hours at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property in Florida. After the meeting, both leaders said they were “very close” to reaching a deal and “90 per cent” of the way there.

“One or two very thorny issues” are still unresolved, Trump said, with Zelensky confirming that key territorial issues remain a major sticking point in the talks.