MOSCOW, December 30. /TASS/. Russia may adjust its Ukraine negotiating position after a drone attack on the president’s state residence; Netanyahu seeks Trump’s approval for new strikes on Iran and Hamas; and China launched large-scale drills around Taiwan after a record US arms sale. These stories topped Tuesday’s newspaper headlines across Russia.
Russia’s negotiating position on the settlement in Ukraine may be revised in response to what Moscow describes as state-sponsored terrorism carried out by Kiev, President Vladimir Putin told Donald Trump during their second phone call within a single day. On the night of December 29, Ukrainian armed forces attempted an attack on the Russian president’s state residence in the Novgorod Region using drones. According to Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov, the US leader was shocked by the incident, adding that it would also influence Washington’s approach to its engagement with Kiev. Vladimir Zelensky has previously resorted to such methods either to derail negotiations or to demonstrate his true approach to a peaceful settlement, Russia’s Foreign Ministry told Izvestia. The move comes after a meeting in Florida just a day earlier between US and Ukrainian delegations, following which both sides made relatively optimistic statements.
