NOVGOROD: Negating Kremlin’s claim that Kyiv had attacked one of the residences of Putin by means of UAV on Monday (29th Dec, 2025), President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of attempting to derail peace talks.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov publicly stated that Ukraine had launched an attack overnight using 91 long-range drones on state residence of Putin here. He confirmed that the attack did not claim any life nor damaged any property. Pointing towards ongoing peace talks in this scenario, he maintained that Russia’s negotiating position would be revised. According to FM Lavrov the armed forces of Russia had selected targets to retaliate.
Amb. Waheed Ahmad stated in his piece published by Radio Pakistan: “Attack on Russian Presidential residence is unfortunate incident and non-diplomatic one. Mostly often countries don’t hit political offices or residences during wars. Pakistan has rightly condemned this attack and expressed solidarity with Russian Federation. I think this attack may be part of some sort of conspiracy to derail peace process between Russia and Ukraine.
“I think that it may be an activity of those elements who want to sabotage peace efforts and ignite tension between both the warring countries. Secondly, I think that prolonged war is also frustrating some elements which are unable to manage resources for war so these elements may have conducted this strike.
“Therefore, nothing can be said with certainty. Actually, European big fours have already learnt a serious lesson from WW-II and don’t want see war in their areas. I think that war also promotes supply tycoons or supply mafias so these mafias also don’t want to see an end to war because end of war means end of their businesses. However, attack on Russian Presidential residence is an unfortunate action and no sane country conducts such raids except Israel which tried to target Iranian political leadership.
“I think that Russia will continue behaving rationally and wisely like before in the war. Mafias are non-state actors and don’t act within any government’s ambit. Therefore, increased influence and power of these non-state actors is dangerous phenomenon as we also face non state actors’ activities on our western borders funded and sponsored by India. These non-state actors’ power and activities must come to an end.“
It may be recalled that on 5th Sept, while rejecting the plan of foreign troops’ deployment in Ukraine under the umbrella of post-truce security guarantee, Vladimir Putin has warned that foreign troops would be a legitimate target of Russian military.
“If some troops appear there, especially now during the fighting, we proceed from the premise that they will be legitimate targets,” Putin forewarned. “If decisions are reached that lead to peace, to long-term peace, then I simply do not see any sense in their presence on the territory of Ukraine.”
It is pertinent to mention here that 26 Western countries have pledged to deploy troops in Ukraine after any truce, during a rendezvous of the ‘coalition of the willing’ held in Paris on Thursday (4th Sept). Kremlin, while rejecting the proposal, held: “We would recognise it as a threat to ourselves – the presence of international forces, or any foreign forces, or NATO forces on Ukrainian soil, near our border.”
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had confirmed on 22nd Aug, 2025 that Russia and Ukraine were not pondering over the possibilities of a Putin-Zelinskyy tête-à-tête, particularly when President Donald Trump’s mediation initiative fizzled out.
Trump, who was preparing ground for the rendezvous of the duo, changed his mind on 22nd Aug, and said Putin and Zelinsky were like oil and vinegar: “They don’t get along too well, for obvious reasons.” Meanwhile, Nato chief Mark Rutte visited Kyiv, largely to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine.
Newspakistan.tv
