Moscow says Kiev fired drones at Putin residence

Russia on Dec. 29 accused Kiev of firing drones at Vladimir Putin's residence between Moscow and Saint Petersburg, announcing it would "revise" its negotiating position on ending the Ukraine war after the "terrorist attack."

In a statement, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Ukraine fired 91 drones at Putin's "official residence" in the Novgorod region on Dec. 28 night into Dec. 29, adding that all of them were destroyed by air defences.

Lavrov announced Russia had chosen targets in Ukraine for "retaliation strikes" and that Moscow's "negotiating position will be revised."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday that Moscow's negotiating stance would shift following an alleged Ukrainian drone attack on President Vladimir Putin's dacha in the Novgorod region.

"Such reckless actions will not go unanswered," Lavrov told Interfax news agency, accusing Ukraine of launching 91 long-range drones targeting the presidential state residence, also known as Valdai, overnight on Monday.

Lavrov did not clarify whether Putin was present at the residence during the alleged attack. Euronews could not independently verify these claims.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shot back at Moscow's claims, calling it "another lie from the Russian Federation".

"It is clear that yesterday we had a meeting with (US President Donald) Trump, and it is clear that for the Russians, if there is no scandal between us and America, and we are making progress, for them it is a failure," Zelenskyy stated in a conversation with journalists on Monday afternoon.

"They do not want to end this war, they are only capable of ending it through pressure on them. Well, I am sure they were looking for reasons," he added.

Zelenskyy also warned that the Russian foreign minister's claim could be an overture for further strikes against civilian targets in Ukraine, including key government buildings in Kyiv.

"Everyone must be vigilant now. Absolutely everyone. A strike may be launched on the capital, especially since this individual, if one can call him that, said that they would select appropriate targets, which is a threat," he said.

Earlier on Monday, the Ukrainian leader said that Washington's 15-year security guarantees were one of the results of his meeting with Trump at Mar-a-Lago the day before, as US-led negotiations continue to aim at ending Russia's all-out war against Ukraine, now nearing its four-year mark.

Following Lavrov's words, Zelenskyy reiterated that "today, in principle, President Trump and his team (and) Europeans, I believe, need to get involved and work with the people who, just yesterday, said that they really want to end the war."

Ukraine and its allies have accused Moscow of intentionally stalling on any ceasefire or peace agreements, while the Kremlin repeated its maximalist demands as a prerequisite for talks to progress.

After the meeting with Zelenskyy on Sunday, Trump said “we will see in a few weeks” whether the peace plan would work out, without setting a deadline or signalling a timeline.

Russia 'confidently advancing' in Ukraine, Putin says

Meanwhile, Russia is pressing ahead with its plan to capture four Ukrainian regions it announced the annexation of in 2022 and is making steady progress, President Vladimir Putin said on Dec. 29.

"The goal of liberating the Donbas, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions is being carried out in stages, in accordance with the plan of the special military operation ... The troops are confidently advancing," Putin said in a televised meeting with Russian army commanders.