Putin Embarrasses Trump by Exposing Private Call

According to a statement released by the Kremlin, Putin told Trump that Kyiv had launched a “terrorist attack” using drones against one of his residences in the Novgorod region. The Russian government insisted that its forces “successfully destroyed” the drones before they reached the property.

But no evidence was provided—no video, satellite imagery, or independent verification. Ukraine immediately denied the claim.

“Another round of lies from the Russian Federation,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a statement to reporters. “They want to poison our progress with America. They don’t want this war to end.”

Trump, 79, confirmed to reporters at Mar-a-Lago that he was “very angry” after speaking with Putin. “It’s one thing to be offensive, another to attack his house,” Trump said, adding that he “couldn’t believe something like that could happen.”

Pressed by journalists on whether U.S. intelligence had confirmed the alleged attack, Trump admitted, “It’s possible it didn’t happen that way.”

That comment left critics wondering why the American president appeared to accept the Russian narrative so readily before his own intelligence community had weighed in.

The timing of the Putin call raised eyebrows: it came just one day after Trump met with Zelensky at Mar-a-Lago to discuss a potential framework to end Russia’s war in Ukraine. The meeting had been described by aides as “constructive,” but no tangible progress was announced—just a vague agreement to meet again next month.

U.S. diplomats, speaking anonymously to Reuters, said Moscow’s claim looked like an attempt to undermine trust between Washington and Kyiv. “It’s classic disinformation—something we’ve seen again and again from the Kremlin,” one official said.

This latest episode revives long-standing concerns about Trump’s relationship with Putin. During his first presidency, Trump often expressed admiration for the Russian leader, drawing bipartisan criticism for taking Putin’s word over U.S. intelligence on election interference.

Now, in his second term, the optics haven’t changed much. “Putin knows exactly how to bait Trump,” said Fiona Hill, a former White House Russia adviser. “He floats a dramatic story, Trump reacts emotionally, and suddenly the entire conversation shifts away from the facts.”

For Zelensky, the moment is delicate. His government remains dependent on U.S. political and humanitarian support as the war drags into its fourth year. Analysts say Russia’s alleged “attack story” is designed to weaken Trump’s confidence in Kyiv and slow down peace negotiations.

“This was never about a drone strike,” said Olga Lautman, a Moscow-born security analyst. “It’s about Putin trying to control the narrative—and testing how far Trump will go to accommodate him.”

Despite the bluster from Moscow, there’s no verified evidence that any attack occurred. What’s clear, however, is that Putin’s claim—real or fabricated—has once again placed Trump in a politically awkward position: caught between an autocrat he praises and an ally fighting for survival.

Source: The Daily Beast; Kremlin and Ukrainian press briefings; Reuters; Mar-a-Lago press pool interview, Dec. 29, 2025.