Zelensky calls out India, UAE over their support of Putin's 'assassination attempt' claim
President Volodymyr Zelensky on Dec. 30 called out India, the United Arab Emirates, and other countries that condemned the so-called "Ukrainian assassination attempt on Vladimir Putin" while largely turning a blind eye to Russian mass attacks on Ukrainian cities.
"It is confusing and unpleasant that some countries, like India, the UAE, and a few others, condemned what they claim were our drone strikes on Putin’s residence — which didn’t even happen," Zelensky said during an online press conference with Ukrainian journalists.
"Where is their condemnation of the fact that our children are being bombed and people are being killed all this time? I don’t hear India, frankly, nor the United Arab Emirates."
Russia claimed on Dec. 29 that Ukraine had attempted to strike President Vladimir Putin’s residence in the Novgorod region with 91 drones. The Russian authorities did not provide any proof to back up their claim.
Ukraine has denied the claim of an alleged attack, calling it Russia's latest effort to undermine peace talks.
The United Arab Emirates' Foreign Ministry wrote on X on Dec. 29 that it "strongly condemns" the "deplorable attack" and "the threat it poses to security and stability."
While the UAE has played a role in negotiations to secure the release of prisoners of war, the country maintains a close strategic partnership with Russia.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on Dec. 30 that he was "deeply concerned" by the reports of the alleged attack and urged both Ukraine and Russia to "avoid any actions that could undermine" peace negotiations.
Putin visited India in early December in a demonstration of growing economic and political ties between the two countries, as India has emerged as one of the largest buyers of Russian oil since 2022.
Against the backdrop of geopolitical maneuvering between Russia and countries across the Middle East and Asia, Zelensky highlighted on Dec. 30 a series of high-level meetings with the U.S. and European allies planned at the start of the new year as part of Ukraine's push for a negotiated resolution to the full-scale war.
"(Russia's) goal is to disrupt any possibility of negotiating progress, any chance of reaching an agreement. And essentially, Putin has no intention of moving toward ending the war through these talks in any way," Sergei Parkhomenko, a Russian columnist, told the Kyiv Independent.
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The Kyiv Independent
