Trump addressed the alleged attack during a conversation with reporters while greeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago in Florida. The US president first said he didn't know anything about it and had only just heard about it, but when asked a moment later he admitted that he had learned about it during a morning telephone conversation with Putin.
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How did Donald Trump comment on the alleged attack on Putin's residence?
What did Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky say about the attack?
How many drones were used in the alleged attack?
Why was Trump angry about the alleged attack on Putin's residence?
— President Putin told me about it early in the morning. He said he was attacked. This is not good. This is not good. Don't forget about the Tomahawks. I kept the Tomahawks, Trump replied, mentioning his refusal to transfer long-range missiles to Ukraine.
– This isn't the right time. It's one thing to be on the offensive, but it's another thing to attack his house. This is not the right time for such things (…). I was very angry, he added.
Ukraine denies attacking Putin's residence
Asked if he had received information on this from the American services, Trump replied: “Well, we'll find out.” You say that maybe the attack didn't happen. It's possible. But President Putin told me this morning that he had.
Trump thus confirmed the report of his conversation with Putin by the adviser to the Russian leader, Yuri Ushakov. Ushakov said Trump expressed outrage at the alleged attack on Putin's residence in the Novgorod Oblast and that he was shocked by it. According to Ushakov, Trump also told Putin that this fact would change his attitude towards Ukrainians.
Russia announced retaliation. According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the Ukrainians used 91 drones, all of which were shot down. The minister added that no one was hurt in the attack and the drones did not cause any damage.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, meanwhile, categorically denied that Ukrainian troops carried out an attack on Putin's residence in the Valdai region. Zelensky described them as “another wave of lies.” In a message released to the media, the Ukrainian leader accused Russia of trying to undermine progress in peace talks to end the war in Ukraine.
