Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said he was “deeply concerned” by reports of an attack on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s residence. Modi urged all sides to stay focused on diplomatic efforts as the only viable path to peace.
“Deeply concerned by reports of the targeting of the residence of the President of the Russian Federation. Ongoing diplomatic efforts offer the most viable path toward ending hostilities and achieving peace. We urge all concerned to remain focused on these efforts and to avoid any actions that could undermine them,” PM Modi said in a post on X on 30 December.
Russia on Monday accused Ukraine of trying to attack President Vladimir Putin's residence and vowed retaliation, providing no evidence for a claim Kyiv dismissed as baseless and aimed at derailing arduous peace talks.
The angry exchanges between the warring neighbours – including a statement by Russia that it was reviewing its stance in negotiations in response to the attack – dealt a new blow to prospects for peace in Ukraine, news agency Reuters reported.
US President Donald Trump also reacted to the reported attack and said President Putin had told him about the alleged attack in a phone call on Monday morning, which had angered him. Still, Trump repeated his belief that a peace deal may be near.
I was very angry about it: President Trump
“It's one thing to be offensive. It's another thing to attack his house. It's not the right time to do any of that. And I learned about it from President Putin today. I was very angry about it,” President Trump told reporters.
On Sunday, President Trump met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Florida. The US president said they were “getting a lot closer, maybe very close” to an agreement to end the war, although “thorny” territorial issues remained.
Putin striles a defiant tone
On Monday, Putin struck a defiant tone, telling his army to press on with a campaign to take full control of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region. The Kremlin repeated demands for Kyiv to pull its forces out of the last part of the Donbas area that they still hold in eastern Ukraine.
Putin told Trump in Monday's phone call that Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February 2022, was reviewing its stance following the reported drone attack, an aide said.
Zelenskiy dismissed Russia's allegation as “a complete fabrication” and the Kremlin's own refusal to take necessary steps to end the war.
After the call with Putin, Trump told reporters outside his home in Palm Beach, Florida, that he had no further information about the alleged attack.
Deeply concerned by reports of the targeting of the residence of the President of the Russian Federation.
“I don't like it, it's not good,” Trump said. Asked if US intelligence agencies had evidence of such an attack, Trump said: “We'll find out.”
