Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said he was “deeply concerned” by reports that the residence of the Russian President Vladimir Putin had been targeted, stressing that diplomacy remained the only path to peace as tensions linked to the Ukraine war continued to escalate.
“Deeply concerned by reports of the targeting of the residence of the President of the Russian Federation. Ongoing diplomatic efforts offer the most viable path toward ending hostilities and achieving peace. We urge all concerned to remain focused on these efforts and to avoid any actions that could undermine them,” Modi wrote on X.
The Prime Minister’s remarks came as Russia accused Ukraine of attempting to attack Putin’s state residence in the Novgorod region, west of Moscow, an allegation Kyiv has denied.
US President Donald Trump said he was “very angry” after President Putin told him about the alleged attack during a phone call on Monday morning.
“It’s one thing to be offensive,” Trump told reporters. “It’s another thing to attack his house. It’s not the right time to do any of that. And I learned about it from President Putin today. I was very angry about it.”
Trump’s comments followed his meeting with President Zelensky in Florida on Sunday, after which he said the two sides were “getting a lot closer, maybe very close” to an agreement to end the war.
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said Ukraine had launched 91 long-range drones at the residence on December 28–29, claiming that all were intercepted and destroyed by Russian air defences. He said no one was injured and there was no damage.
Calling the alleged incident “state terrorism”, Lavrov warned that Moscow’s negotiating stance would be reviewed, though he stressed that Russia would not abandon negotiations.
“Such reckless actions will not go unanswered,” Lavrov said, adding that targets had already been selected for retaliatory strikes by Russia’s armed forces.
He also said the alleged attack took place during ongoing discussions over a possible peace settlement.
It was not clear whether President Putin was present at the residence at the time of the alleged attack.
Ukraine has rejected the accusations. Zelensky dismissed the claims as “another round of lies” aimed at justifying fresh Russian strikes and undermining diplomatic efforts.
Zelensky said Moscow was preparing the ground to strike Ukrainian government buildings in Kyiv and was seeking to derail progress in Ukraine–US talks. He urged Trump to respond to what he called escalating Russian threats.
Russian deputy foreign minister Alexander Grushko claimed that Britain had a role in what he termed Ukraine’s latest “provocations” aimed at disrupting the peace process, according to state news agency TASS.