Russia accuses Ukraine of drone attack on presidential residence

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday that Kiev launched an overnight drone attack targeting the presidential residence in Russia's northwestern region of Novgorod.

"On the night of December 28 to 29, the Kiyv regime launched a terrorist attack using 91 long-range strike drones on the state residence of the President of the Russian Federation," Lavrov said.

He said 91 long-range drones were all destroyed by Russian air defenses during the attack, causing no injuries and damage.

"Such reckless actions will not go unanswered," Lavrov said in a statement, describing the attack as "state terrorism" and adding that targets had already been selected for retaliatory strikes by Russia's armed forces.

Lavrov said the attack took place during negotiations about a possible peace deal and added Russia would review its negotiating stance but not quit the negotiations.

Denying Ukraine had planned such an attack, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy accused Russia of preparing the ground to strike government buildings in Kyiv, saying Russia wanted to undermine progress at U.S.-Ukrainian talks on ending the war.

"Another round of lies from the Russian Federation," Zelenskyy told reporters via 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."

He added, "I am sure they are simply preparing the ground for strikes, probably on the capital, probably on government buildings."

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on social media the attack was a fabrication intended to create a pretext for more Russian attacks on Ukraine and to undermine the peace process. He urged world leaders to condemn Russia over its accusations.

Trump:  'shocked and outraged' by the reported drone attack

Russian Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov said President Vladimir Putin discussed the latest U.S.-Ukraine negotiations in a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday. 

Ushakov stated Trump was "shocked and outraged" by the reported drone attack, which he called "reckless."

Trump described the call as productive, saying, "We have a couple of issues that we're going to get resolved, hopefully, and if we get them resolved, you're going to have peace."

On Sunday, Trump met Zelenskyy in Florida, stating they were "getting a lot closer, maybe very close" to an agreement to end the war, though "thorny" territorial issues remained.

Territorial issues unresolved

Zelenskyy said an agreement on security guarantees for Ukraine had been outlined on Sunday, though U.S. President Donald Trump noted it was only "95% ready." Zelenskyy added on Monday he sought a 50-year security deal.

Trump also said he expected European countries to "take over a big part" of security efforts with U.S. backing. Agreement on such moves would be complicated, as Russia has said any foreign troop deployment in Ukraine would be unacceptable.

Zelenskyy said two key issues remain unresolved: control of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station, which is in Russian hands, and the status of the Donbas area.

Negotiating positions differ sharply, with Russia demanding a Ukrainian withdrawal from parts of Donetsk and Ukraine insisting on a ceasefire along current front lines. 

(With input from agencies)