President Donald Trump said U.S. officials determined Ukraine did not target Vladimir Putin’s residence in last week’s drone incident, disputing Kremlin claims he initially treated with concern.

According to AP’s Monday report, Russia’s Sergey Lavrov alleged Ukraine launched drones at Putin’s Novgorod residence amid intensive peace talks; Kyiv swiftly denied it.

Trump said “something happened nearby,” but U.S. checks found the residence wasn’t targeted. He later downplayed the claim after initially expressing anger, sharing an editorial questioning Moscow’s narrative.

The U.S. president has struggled to fulfill a pledge to end the war in Ukraine quickly and has shown irritation with both Putin and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky.

Both Trump and Zelensky said last week they made progress in their talks at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort.

Russia has consistently reiterated that its objectives should be met before the war ends, including winning control of all Ukrainian territory in the key industrial Donbas region and imposing severe restrictions on the size of Ukraine’s post-war military and the type of weaponry it can possess.