Russian dictator Vladimir Putin claimed in a phone call with President Donald Trump that Kyiv had attacked one of his official residences—a claim which Ukraine denied almost instantly.
The Russian readout of the call said that Putin, 73, told Trump, 79, that Ukraine “launched a terrorist attack” using drones to target the Russian president’s residence. The Kremlin further said that Trump “was shocked by this news, literally outraged.”
“[Trump] said he couldn’t even imagine such crazy actions. And, as stated, this will undoubtedly impact American approaches to working with Zelensky, whom, as Trump himself said, thank God, the current administration hasn’t given ‘Tomahawks,’” the Kremlin readout said.
Putin and Trump spoke for the second time in the last day, with Trump describing it as “a very good talk,” but adding that they have “a few very thorny issues” remaining.
Following the call, Trump told reporters that he was “very angry” when Putin told him about the alleged attack. Trump said it was one thing to “be offensive” but another “to attack his house.”
When asked if U.S. intelligence services had confirmed that the attack actually happened, Trump said it was “possible” that the attack did not occur as Putin said.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claimed Russia destroyed drones targeting the Russian president’s residence in the Novgorod region, but he has not provided evidence of this claim. The Novgorod residence is not the Russian president’s primary residence and is used mostly as a retreat.
Ukraine, for its part, has denied the reported attack. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Sunday, said that Russia fabricated its claim to sabotage their negotiations with the U.S.
“Another round of lies from the Russian Federation,” Zelensky told reporters on WhatsApp.
“It is clear that we had a meeting with Trump yesterday, 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, because they do not want to end this war,” Zelensky said.
The Putin-Trump call preceded Trump’s Sunday meeting at his Mar-a-Lago club with Zelensky. The U.S. and Ukraine have been working to finalize a peace agreement to end Russia’s war in Ukraine—a war which Trump repeatedly said he would end within 24 hours of taking office during his 2024 presidential campaign.
While U.S. and Ukrainian officials had been speaking optimistically about that meeting leading up to it, it did not produce much, save for a promise to meet again next month.
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