US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he was “very angry” over reports of an attempted attack on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s state residences, after Moscow accused Ukraine of launching a large overnight drone assault.
Russia blamed Ukraine for the incident, with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claiming Kyiv targeted Putin’s residence in the Novgorod region late on Sunday. According to Moscow, all 91 drones involved in the alleged attack were shot down by Russian air defences. Ukraine flatly denied the accusations, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissing them as “lies.”
‘This Is Not The Right Time: Trump
Trump addressed the issue while welcoming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, describing the reports as deeply concerning.
“I learned about it from President Putin today. I was very angry about it,” Trump told reporters, describing the conversation, his second with the Russian leader in as many days, as “very good.”
Calling the moment “a delicate period of time,” Trump warned against further escalation. “It’s one thing to be offensive, because they’re offensive. It’s another thing to attack his house,” he said. “This is not the right time to do any of that.”
Trump Warns Iran Over Missile Programme
Trump also used the appearance to issue a stark warning to Iran, responding to reports that Tehran may be stepping up efforts to rebuild its ballistic missile programme despite the reimposition of U.N. sanctions last month banning such activity.
“I hear that Iran is trying to build up again, and if they are, we’re going to have to knock them down, we’ll knock them down, we’ll knock the hell out of them,” Trump said.
At the same time, he left the door open to diplomacy, suggesting a deal would be in Iran’s best interests. “Hopefully that’s not happening. I heard Iran wants to make a deal. If they want to make a deal, that’s much smarter,” he said.
Trump argued Tehran had missed an earlier opportunity. “They could have made a deal the last time, before we did a big attack on them,” he added, urging Iranian leaders once again to return to negotiations. “They want to make a deal. But sometimes that doesn’t happen.”
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