Name: Zelenskyy: Russia wants to undermine peace talks | DW News
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Russia is accusing Ukraine of attacking President Vladimir Putin's residence in the region of Novgorod with 91 drones.

Moscow says it will change its position in ceasefire negotiations.

Participle clauses

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denies the attack, saying the Kremlin is trying to undermine peace talks he's been holding with the US President.

They both said progress had been made during their meeting at Donald Trump's Mar A Lago home in Florida.

But the US Leader did say some key issues remain, including territory and security guarantees.

First of all, DW Sergei Satnovsky told me more about the Kremlin's latest accusations.

Right now, the only information from the Russian side we can point to, other words of Russia's Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, and

Putin's aide, Yuri Ushakov, who haven't provided at least yet any evidence.

So According to Lavrov, 91 drones, as you said, target targeted Vladimir Putin's residents in the Nizhny Novgorod.

Lavrov says air defenses shot down all of them, but

we don't know yet whether there was any damage to the building or any injuries.

I should also say that the presidential residence, this presidential residence in the Nizhnav region is well known.

It's one of the places where Putin hosts foreign leaders, for example, and it is heavily protected.

Independent journalists reported just this year that there are at least 12 air defense systems around these residents.

Now, even if Lavrov's claim is accurate, this wouldn't be the first attack on a site somehow linked to Putin.

In 2023, two drones attack the Kremlin and damaged part of its roof, and

And neither Ukraine admitted to carrying out this attack.

But this latest news comes, as you said, right in the middle of the negotiation process.

And as Lavrov said, it will change Moscow's stance in these peace talks.

It's hard to say how exactly it will change Moscow stance because the Kremlin's.

The Kremlin is already pushing maximalist demands and threatening to drive Ukrainian forces out of the Donbass region by force if they don't withdraw themselves.

What for sure may change is how Russia chooses its targets.

For example, in Kiev, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, as you've already mentioned, has said that Russia will use this, as he says, Lieutenant, as justification for strike.

And beyond that, of course, Moscow could use it to defend their Future attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, for example, putting pressure also on ordinary Ukrainians right before the New Year holidays.

Now, the White House says Trump has just held another call with Putin on the latest developments.

Well, we know the contents of that call only through the account given by Putin's aide, Yuri Ushakov.

And according to him, Trump was shocked by the attack on Putin's residence.

Trump also allegedly told Putin that this strike would have would have an impact on how his administration deals with with Volodymyr Zelensky.

Usakov also said that Trump was informed that Russia is going to change its position in the NDP stocks.

But how Trump reacted to these we don't know yet.

And finally, he commented on Trump's talks with Zelensky at Mar a Lago yesterday.

And in the Kremlin's view, some of the points that were agreed on yesterday in Florida will allow Kiev to dodge its obligations.

Our correspondent Sergei Sadhanovsky, Olena Poko Benko is an analyst on Ukraine with the German Marshall Fund and American Public Policy think tank.

What do you make of Ukraine denying accusations of attacking Putin's residents?

Well, Ukraine has remained committed to maintaining its credibility with international partners.

And Ukraine has been avoiding, consistently avoiding any actions that would derail the diplomatic efforts that are ongoing at the moment.

But Russia, on the other hand, is using any pretext to derail dip these talks and to justify its daily attacks on Ukraine, including on Kiev, and

So when we look at the statement that was made by, by Sergei Lavrov about the attack, which by the way, contains multiple factual inconsistencies which are also interesting.

But the statement was immediately followed by the claim that Russia will change its negotiation position very soon, which means that this is again used as an excuse to continue derailing the peace process.

Even though Russia is already as incorporative in the peace process as it can possibly be, it's rejecting the ceasefire under any circumstances, including today's statement by Kremlin that no ceasefire will be accepted for the purposes of the referendum on the territorial concessions.

So Russia is already pushing for maximalist demands that are unacceptable to Ukraine.

But the claims of the attack on Putin's residents are aimed at escalating the attacks on Kyiv, on the government buildings, on the rest of Ukraine's territory, and

And this should not be just a quick point.

I think the most important thing for us to understand is that international partners should not be distracted by these claims by Kremlin they should not be distracted from the actual peace process which should be focused on putting pressure on Russia.

They should not be distracted by the claims such as the one that Lavrov made and should focus on putting consolidated economic, political and diplomatic pressure on Russia because there doesn't seem to be any shortcut to peace.

Putting economic pressure and political pressure on Russia is the only way to ensure cease fire but also lasting peace.

Just briefly, can you tell us a little more about the inconsistencies you mentioned there in this statement released by the Kremlin?

The number of, of, of drones that Russia that, that Putin's residence was attacked by and the number of drones that were inter seems to be exactly the same, although the attack seems to have happened and the damages seems to have been claimed by Kremlin.

And this proves that the claims are not very thought through and the numbers even don't match.

And the fact that these claims come at the time when the peace talks are entering such a critical stage and they immediately follow the meeting between Zelensky and Trump is, is again it means that Russia is again trying to derail the peace process, unfortunately.

Well, as far as these peace negotiations go, would you say either side is any closer to agreeing on one of the biggest issues territory?

Unfortunately yesterday's meeting between President Zelensky and Trump have not, has not yield at any results in terms of the territorial issues.

And again the territorial concessions can only be accepted by Ukraine under very robust, very strong security guarantees which the US doesn't seem to be ready to commit to.

And yesterday there was very, very little, very little detail available following the meeting as to what the US Is actually offering.

There was statement that Donald Trump would consider a 15 year security guarantees and President Zelensky is insisting on 50 because we know that Russia's goals in this war have not changed and it still seeks to subjugate all of Ukraine, which is why 50 years sounds more relevant and realistic than 15.

So in the absence of these security guarantees, no territorial concessions should be accepted and will be accepted by Ukraine.

And this again brings us back to, to the point that the west should focus not on the changing, ever changing Russian demands, but

on the consolidated pressure on Russia economically, politically, diplomatically.

This is the only way to bring about any progress not only on the territorial issues, but

also on the rest of the peace plans that have been discussed.

Olena Poho Penko, thank you very much for joining us from the German Marshall Fund there.