Russia and Putin · Second term · № 126
Took Putin's word that Ukraine had attacked his residence and said he was 'very angry'; the CIA found it did not happen
“It's not the right time to do any of that and can't do it. And I learned about it from President Putin today. I was very angry about it.”
- Said
- , Mar-a-Lago, Palm Beach, Florida, exchange with reporters during a greeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu
- Subject
- Putin residence claim
- Type
- Intelligence and security
- Topic
- Ukraine & Russia
- Era
- Second term
What happened
The day after his Mar-a-Lago meeting with Zelensky, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claimed Ukraine had launched 91 drones at Putin's residence near Valdai in the Novgorod region; Ukraine denied it. Trump told reporters Putin had told him of it by phone early that morning, that it was 'no good,' and that he was 'very angry about it,' adding that he had 'stopped the Tomahawks' for Ukraine. Asked whether U.S. intelligence had evidence, he said 'it's possible' no attack took place 'but President Putin told me this morning it did.' The CIA assessed that Ukraine had not targeted the residence, and Director John Ratcliffe briefed him on December 31; EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas called the Russian claim a 'deliberate distraction.' On January 4, 2026 he said, 'I don't believe that strike happened' and that something had happened 'fairly nearby, but had nothing to do with his house.'
Sources
- Remarks in an Exchange With Reporters During a Greeting With Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel in Palm Beach, Florida
- CIA assesses Ukraine was not targeting a Putin residence in drone attack, contrary to Kremlin claim, sources say
- Trump says that Ukraine didn't target Putin residence in a drone strike as Kremlin claims
- Remarks in an Exchange With Reporters Aboard Air Force One En Route to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland