Trump, Putin hold phone call following Zelensky's visit to Florida
Editor's note: This story is being updated.
Following his meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Florida, U.S. President Donald Trump held a phone call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Dec. 29.
This was the second call between Trump and Putin in two days.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt described the Trump-Putin conversation as "positive," without providing further details.
The first conversation took place before the U.S. president's meeting with Zelensky at his residence Mar-a-Lago on Dec. 28.
The meeting didn't bring a breakthrough. The two leaders discussed a draft agreement outlining security guarantees for Ukraine, as well as the revised 20-point plan for ending the Russian war, backed by Ukraine and the U.S. The initial 28-point plan had effectively pushed Kyiv to capitulate, reiterating Russia’s maximalist demands.
The news came shortly after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused Ukraine of trying to attack Putin's residence in Russia's Novgorod Oblast with drones on Dec. 29. Lavrov said that Moscow will "reassess" its stance on the talks.
According to Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov, the Russian side briefed Trump on an alleged drone attack during the recent call, and he was "shocked" and "outraged."
"On a number of agreements reached in the previous stage and the emerging resolutions, Russia's position will be reassessed," Ushakov said. "The Americans should approach this with understanding."
Zelensky dismissed Lavrov's claims. He said that Russia is trying to "undermine" ongoing peace efforts between Kyiv and Washington and may be planning new attacks on government buildings in Kyiv.
"Typical Russian lies," Zelensky said.
Later, Trump confirmed to journalists that Putin had told him about the alleged drone attack, suggesting that "maybe the attack did not take place."
"It's no good," Trump said during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "Don't forget, I stopped the Tomahawks."
"It's one thing to be offensive, another thing to attack his house. It's not the right time to do any of that," the American president added.
Earlier this year, reports suggested that Washington was considering supplying Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. In reaction, Putin reiterated his stance, claiming that delivering these weapons would constitute a "qualitatively new stage of escalation."
