FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
US President Donald Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that US officials have found that Ukraine did not target the residence belonging to Russian President Vladimir Putin in a drone strike last week, contradicting Russian claims that Trump initially called "deeply troubling".
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said last week that Kiev had launched a wave of drones at Putin's state residence in the northwestern Novgorod region, which Russian air defense systems were able to intercept and disrupt. Lavrov also criticized Ukraine for launching the attack at a time when global efforts designed to end the fighting through diplomacy were intensifying.
The accusation came just a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky traveled to Florida to meet with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach and discuss the 20-point U.S. peace plan that is still under development for his embattled country. Zelenskyy quickly denied the accusations leveled against Kiev.
Trump noted on Sunday that after an extensive investigation into the allegations, Washington did not find that Ukraine targeted Putin's residence, but acknowledged that "something" happened in the area. Trump added that "something happened near" Putin's residence, but U.S. officials did not reveal that the Russian president's residence was targeted.
"I don't believe the attack happened. We don't believe it happened, now that we've been able to verify it," Trump told reporters as he traveled to Washington on Sunday after spending two weeks at his home in Florida.
Trump appealed to the US resolve after European officials argued that the Russian claim was nothing more than an attempt by Moscow to undermine peace efforts. He told reporters last week on Monday that his Russian counterpart had also raised the issue during a phone call with the Russian leader earlier in the day. And Trump said he was “very angry” about the accusation.
By Wednesday, Trump appeared to be downplaying the Russian claim. He posted a link to a New York Post editorial on his social media platform that raised doubts about the Russian accusation. The editorial sharply criticized Putin for choosing “lies, hatred and death” at a time when Trump has claimed he is “closer than ever” to bringing the two sides to an agreement to end the war.
Lini një Përgjigje