New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reacted strongly to reports of an attempted drone strike on Russian president Vladimir Putin’s residence.
Diplomacy remains the only credible route to peace, the Prime Minister noted, saying that he was deeply worried about developments that could further escalate tensions amid ongoing hostilities.
“Deeply concerned by reports of the targeting of the residence of the President of the Russian Federation. Ongoing diplomatic efforts offer the most viable path toward ending hostilities and achieving peace. We urge all concerned to remain focused on these efforts and to avoid any actions that could undermine them,” PM Modi posted on X.
This came a day after Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov reportedly claimed that Ukraine attempted to strike Putin’s state residence in Russia’s Novgorod region and warned that the alleged incident would affect Moscow’s approach to negotiations, as reported by Hindustan Times.
US president Donald Trump, who has
been attempting to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine, also reacted strongly to the alleged drone strike, saying that the development has made him “very angry”. Putin had told him about the attack during a phone call, Trump said.
“It’s one thing to be offensive, because they’re offensive. It’s another thing to attack his house. It’s not the right time to do any of that,” the US president told reporters.
“I learned about it from President Putin, and I was very angry about it,” he added.
China also reacted to the development. “We urge parties to abide by the principle of no spillover of the battlefield, no escalation,” the country’s foreign ministry said, as reported by Reuters.
The Russian foreign minister claimed that Ukraine launched 91 long-range drones at the residence over December 28–29, describing the action as “reckless” and stating that it would not go unanswered.
All the drones were allegedly intercepted and destroyed by Russian air defences, Lavrov said, adding that the alleged attack amounted to “state terrorism.”
It was not immediately clear whether Putin was present at the residence at the time of the alleged incident.
Ukrainian president Volydymyr Zelenskyy, meanwhile, rejected Moscow’s allegation, calling it “a complete fabrication,” and said the Russia itself was unwilling to take the necessary steps to bring an end to the war.