Russia erupted after an alleged Ukrainian attempt to strike President Putin’s Novgorod residence. Security Council deputy Dmitry Medvedev blasted Kyiv’s leadership, accusing it of seeking war and vowing consequences.

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin claimed in a phone call with President Donald Trump that Kyiv had attacked one of his official residences—a claim which Ukraine denied almost instantly. The Russian readout of the call said that Putin,

MOSCOW, Dec 29 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin on Monday told his army to press on with a campaign to take full control of the Zaporizhzhia region in southern Ukraine after a Russian commander said Moscow's forces were 15 kilometres (9.3 miles) from its biggest city.

Over the course of Trump’s first year in office, Zelensky and other European leaders have repeatedly worked to convince Trump that Russia’s President Putin is, in fact, an aggressor opposed to peace, responsible for an unprovoked invasion that launched the deadliest conflict in Europe since the Second World War.

Mike Pompeo challenges Trump and Zelenskyy's optimism about Ukraine peace talks, warning Putin needs a 'bigger stick' before serious negotiations.

“The Kremlin’s strategic wager was clear: that an incoming Trump administration would force a peace deal on Kyiv and Europe’s capitals, locking in Russia’s territorial gains and fracturing Western unity before Moscow’s own clock ran out. And if it didn’t, the US would withdraw support,” RUSI analysts Dixon and Beznosiuk argue.

Putin’s war on Ukraine was once a popular enterprise. But domestic support is softening as the conflict's material, human and reputational costs continue to mount.

Russia has accused Ukraine of attempting a coordinated drone strike on a residence linked to President Vladimir Putin in the Novgorod region. The allegation was made by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov,