On Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump expressed skepticism regarding claims from the Kremlin that Ukrainian drones attacked the residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“I don’t think that strike actually took place,” Trump commented while aboard Air Force One, emphasizing that “nobody was aware at that moment” if the report was accurate.

Last week, Russia’s Defense Ministry shared footage of a drone it claimed was shot down, which they alleged Ukraine had sent toward Putin’s property in the Novgorod region. They stated that the residence sustained no damage and that the president was not present at the time.

This allegation emerged at a crucial juncture, as diplomatic efforts to resolve the nearly four-year war were intensifying, coinciding with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Florida to meet Trump.

Russian officials accused Ukraine of lacking sincerity in its diplomatic initiatives, while Kyiv and its Western allies challenged the occurrence of the attack.

Trump acknowledged that “something” transpired near Putin’s residence, but after análise, American officials did not believe it was a targeted action by Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Zelensky accused Russia of continuing the war “into the New Year” through a series of deadly strikes.

A nationwide air raid alert was issued early Monday morning in Ukraine, with attacks in the Kyiv region resulting in at least two fatalities, according to local authorities.

Compared to previous years, Russia made more significant battlefield gains last year than at any other time since the invasion began in 2022, as analyzed by the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War.

European leaders are set to meet in France on Tuesday to discuss a U.S.-backed proposal aimed at concluding Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II, which Zelensky asserts is “90% prepared.”