Trump rejects Putin claim Ukraine attacked his residence: ‘We don’t believe that happened’
President Trump dismissed the Kremlin’s claim that Ukraine targeted Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s residence last week, saying Sunday night that he doubted the attack ever occurred.
“I don’t believe that strike happened. There is something that happened fairly nearby, but had nothing to do with this house,” Trump, 79, told reporters aboard Air Force One as he returned to Washington from Mar-a-Lago.
The president initially criticized Ukraine over the alleged drone assault, saying on Dec. 29 that he “was very angry about it” after speaking with Putin. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denied the claim, calling it “typical Russian lies,” and the CIA reportedly assessed that no such attack took place.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had publicly alleged that 91 long-range drones targeted Putin’s home in the Novgorod region, roughly halfway between Moscow and St. Petersburg, and that they were all shot down.
Trump said Sunday that the timing of such an attack would have been inappropriate. “It’s one thing to be offensive, it’s another thing to attack his house,” he said.
He also defended his initial reaction, saying he spoke based on the information available at the time. “Because nobody knew at that moment. That was the first I heard about it. He said that his house was attacked,” Trump explained. “We don’t believe that happened, now that we’ve been able to check. But that was the first we ever heard about it.”
Russia has reportedly said it is reconsidering its participation in peace talks with Ukraine, which it invaded in February 2022.
Separately, Trump suggested Sunday that he could raise tariffs on India to pressure New Delhi over its Russian oil purchases, a key source of funding for Putin’s military operations.
“[Prime Minister Narendra] Modi is a good guy. He knew I was not happy, and it was important to make me happy,” Trump said. “They do trade, and we can raise tariffs on them very quickly.”
Last year, the Trump administration imposed tariffs of up to 50% on Indian goods to discourage purchases of Russian oil. Other countries, including China, Turkey, and Brazil, also continue to import Russian oil, though often at discounted rates.
Trump made his comments alongside Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who has pushed bipartisan legislation to impose tariffs of up to 500% on nations that continue buying Russian oil.
About Post Author
