Russia says Ukraine tried to attack Putin's residence; Zelenskyy denies accusation

Russian strange government minister Sergei Lavrov said mon that ukrayina had tried to assail President Vladimir Putin's residence in the Novgorod region, and so Moscow's negotiating position in the ongoing peace talks would be reviewed.

Lavrov said that on Dec. 28-29, Ukraine had attacked the Russian president's state residence with 91 long-range drones, which were all destroyed by Russian air defences.

"Such reckless actions will not go unanswered," Lavrov said, adding that the attack amounted to "state terrorism."

Targets had already been selected for retaliatory strikes by Russia's armed forces, he said.

Lavrov noted that the attack took place during negotiations about a possible peace deal with Ukraine and that while Russia would not leave the negotiations, Moscow's position will be reviewed.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the accusation a lie, adding that Moscow was preparing the ground to strike government buildings in Kyiv.

It was not immediately clear if Putin was in the residence at the time.

Earlier Monday, Zelenskyy said that the United States was offering Ukraine security guarantees for a period of 15 years as part of a proposed peace plan, though he said he would prefer an American commitment of up to 50 years to deter Russia from further attempts to seize its neighbour's land by force.

U.S. President Donald Trump hosted Zelenskyy at his Florida resort on Sunday and insisted that Ukraine and Russia are "closer than ever before" to a peace settlement.

Negotiators are still searching for a breakthrough on key issues, however, including whose forces withdraw from where and the fate of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, one of the 10 biggest in the world.

Trump says Ukraine peace deal closer after meeting with Zelenskyy

Trump noted that the monthslong U.S.-led negotiations could still collapse.

"Without security guarantees, realistically, this war will not end," Zelenskyy told reporters in voice messages responding to questions sent via a WhatsApp chat.

Ukraine has been fighting Russia since 2014, when it illegally annexed Crimea and Moscow-backed separatists took up arms in the Donbas, a vital industrial region in eastern Ukraine.

Details of the security guarantees have not become public, but Zelenskyy said Monday that they include how a peace deal would be monitored, as well as the "presence" of partners. He didn't elaborate, but Russia has said it won't accept the deployment in Ukraine of troops from NATO countries.

As indications suggest, negotiations could come to a head in January, before the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-blown invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. Putin on Monday claimed that Russian troops are advancing in the eastern Donetsk region of Ukraine and are also pressing their offensive in the southern Zaporizhzhia region.

Putin has sought to portray himself as negotiating from a position of strength as Ukrainian forces strain to keep back the bigger Russian army.

He also emphasized at a meeting with senior military officers the need to create military buffer zones along the Russian border.

"This is a very important task as it ensures the security of Russia's border regions," he said.

In a televised meeting with Putin and other top military officials, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, the chief of Russia's General Staff, said that Russian forces in 2025 had captured 6,460 square kilometres of territory in Ukraine, including 334 villages.

Reuters could not independently verify the battlefield reports.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Monday that Putin and Trump were expected to speak in the near future, but there was no indication the Russian leader would speak to Zelenskyy.

French President Emmanuel Macron said Kyiv's allies will meet in Paris in early January to "finalize each country's concrete contributions" to the security guarantees.

Trump said he would consider extending U.S. Security guarantees for Ukraine beyond 15 years, according to Zelenskyy. The guarantees would be approved by the U.S. Congress, as well as by parliaments in other countries involved in overseeing any settlement, he said.

Zelenskyy said he wants the 20-point peace plan under discussion to be approved by Ukrainians in a national referendum.

However, holding a ballot requires a ceasefire of at least 60 days, and Moscow has shown no willingness for a truce without a full settlement.

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