Kremlin: Putin Shocks Trump with Report of Drone Attack on Presidential Residence

In a dramatic turn of events that has shaken the foundations of ongoing peace negotiations, the Kremlin revealed on Monday that President Vladimir Putin personally informed U.S. President Donald Trump of a massive Ukrainian drone attack targeting his state residence. During a high-stakes phone call on December 29, Putin detailed an attempted strike involving 91 long-range drones aimed at his Valdai estate in the Novgorod region. According to Kremlin sources, President Trump was “shocked” by the revelation, which came just hours after his high-profile summit with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Florida.
The phone call, described by the White House as “positive” regarding broad diplomatic channels, took a grave turn when the Russian leader disclosed the specifics of the assault. Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov confirmed to reporters that Putin used the conversation to present evidence of the “reckless provocation.” He reportedly told Trump that the sheer scale of the swarm—91 UAVs targeting a single leadership compound—marked a dangerous escalation that could force Moscow to fundamentally revise its negotiating position.
“The American President was visibly taken aback and shocked by the severity of the incident described by President Putin,” a Kremlin insider noted. Trump, who has been aggressively pushing for a ceasefire deal to be finalized before the New Year, reportedly expressed concern that such actions could derail weeks of diplomatic progress. The timing of the alleged attack is particularly sensitive, occurring overnight between Sunday and Monday, directly coinciding with the conclusion of the Trump-Zelenskyy talks at Mar-a-Lago where the Ukrainian leader had reportedly agreed to certain security concessions.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov publicly corroborated the details of the call, stating that the attack on the Novgorod residence was an act of “state terrorism” designed to assassinate the Russian head of state. Lavrov warned that while Moscow remains open to dialogue, the “ground rules” of the engagement have shifted. “We cannot talk about demilitarized zones while the enemy attempts to decapitate our leadership,” Lavrov said.
Conversely, officials in Kyiv have vehemently denied the accusations, labeling the Kremlin’s narrative a “calculated fabrication.” President Zelenskyy, speaking from Florida, dismissed the report as a “fake flag” operation intended to sabotage the goodwill generated by his meeting with Trump. “This is Putin’s way of saying no to peace without looking like the aggressor,” Zelenskyy argued.
However, the “shock” registered by President Trump suggests that the Russian claims may have landed with significant weight in Washington. Analysts believe this development puts Trump in a precarious position: he must now verify the Russian intelligence while managing a furious response from Moscow that threatens to undo his flagship foreign policy initiative. If confirmed, the attack on the Valdai residence would represent the boldest Ukrainian deep-strike operation of the war, signaling to the West that Kyiv retains the capacity to threaten the Kremlin directly, regardless of ongoing peace talks.