Shared Diplomatic Efforts With Trump Team Central to Ukrainian Response

Shared diplomatic efforts with President Trump’s team have become central to Ukraine’s response to Russian allegations, with President Zelensky repeatedly emphasizing the importance of protecting collaborative progress from Moscow’s manipulation attempts.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Ukraine of launching 91 long-range drones at the presidential compound in Novgorod region over December 28-29. He characterized the alleged operation as reckless state terrorism and warned that Russia would respond with military force. Lavrov indicated that the incident would influence Moscow’s approach to negotiations.
Zelensky dismissed Russian claims while specifically highlighting work with Trump administration representatives as central to recent diplomatic progress. He argued that Moscow’s allegations were strategically timed to undermine these collaborative efforts. The Ukrainian president emphasized that Russia was attempting to disrupt shared diplomatic work that had been yielding positive results.
According to Russian accounts, air defense systems successfully intercepted all incoming threats to the presidential compound. However, Lavrov maintained that the alleged attack attempt warranted significant retaliation and would necessitate reassessment of Russia’s negotiating position. He confirmed that Russian military planners had identified specific targets for potential strike operations.
Zelensky’s response consistently returned to the theme of protecting diplomatic collaboration with Trump’s team. He called on the international community to recognize that Russian allegations threatened shared progress toward peace. The Ukrainian president argued that Moscow’s tactics were designed to insert discord into what had been productive multilateral coordination. He emphasized that Ukraine’s partnership with Trump administration representatives represented meaningful advancement in peace efforts that Russia now sought to derail. Zelensky stressed that defending these shared diplomatic achievements from Russian manipulation required sustained international support and active counter-messaging against Moscow’s false narratives. He warned that allowing Russian allegations to disrupt collaborative progress would encourage similar tactics whenever diplomacy advanced.