The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said this Tuesday that Kyiv was discussing with Washington a possible presence of US troops in Ukraine as part of security guarantees, and also addressed what he called a fake attack on the residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Zelenskiy told the media in a WhatsApp chat that Ukraine was committed to continuing discussions on how to end the war unleashed by Russia’s large-scale invasion in 2022, and that he was ready to meet Putin in any format.
The United States President, Donald Trump, said on Sunday that he and Zelenskiy were ‘perhaps very close’ to a deal to end the war, although thorny territorial issues remained. He was more cautious than Zelenskiy regarding security guarantees, but said they were 95% close to a deal and that he expected European countries ‘to take a large part’ of this effort with US backing.
On Tuesday, Russia said that its position in the negotiations would become more rigid after accusing Kyiv of attacking one of Putin’s presidential residences — an allegation Kyiv said was unfounded and intended to disrupt the arduous peace negotiations.
Zelenskiy Wants US Troops in Ukraine
Zelenskiy said in his WhatsApp chat that the presence of US troops in Ukraine would be a major security boost for Kyiv.
‘Of course we are discussing this with President Trump and with representatives of the Western coalition (which supports Kyiv). We want this. We would like it to be so. This would be a strong position on security guarantees,’ he said.
The White House did not comment on the issue of sending US troops to Ukraine in any peace agreement with Russia.
Zelenskiy said that he was willing to meet Putin, despite the deep lack of mutual trust that he highlighted on Monday.
‘I told President Trump and European leaders that I am ready for any format of a meeting with Putin. I am not afraid of any format… The main thing is that the Russians are not afraid.’
Russia said on Monday that Kyiv targeted a presidential residence in the Novgorod region with 91 long-range attack drones, all of which it said it had intercepted.
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov described the alleged attack as ‘state terrorism’ and said Moscow had already identified targets for retaliation strikes in Ukraine.
The Kremlin did not provide any physical evidence of the alleged incident, saying it would retaliate and reassess its negotiating position, but would not abandon talks on a possible peace agreement.
French Say There Is No Evidence of an Attack on Putin’s Residence
Zelenskiy said earlier this Tuesday: ‘This story of the supposed attack on the residence is a complete invention with the aim of justifying further attacks against Ukraine, including Kyiv, as well as Russia’s own refusal to take the necessary steps to end the war. Lies typical of Russia’.
In Paris, a source close to French President Emmanuel Macron said there was no substance to corroborate Moscow’s accusation of an attack on Putin’s residence.
‘Ukraine and its partners are committed to a path of peace, while Russia chose to continue and intensify its war against Ukraine. This is, in itself, an act of defiance against the peace agenda of President Trump,’ the source said.
The White House did not wish to comment further on the alleged attack on Putin’s residence after Zelenskiy said he had spoken about the matter with Trump, who on Monday said he had been informed of the matter by Putin and was irritated by it. Asked whether there was evidence of such an attack, Trump said: ‘We will find out’.
Amid escalating peace diplomacy, Russia launched more waves of drones against port infrastructure and civilian ships in the Odessa region of Ukraine on Tuesday, according to naval authorities and the Ukrainian government.
Odessa and the surrounding region host the Black Sea ports, which are crucial for Ukraine’s foreign trade and for the survival of its economy in wartime.
In recent months, the maritime war between Ukraine and Russia has intensified. Both sides have attacked naval and commercial assets in the Black Sea and beyond.
