Putin likes to think he has it all figured out. But he didn’t factor in Trump’s boldness.
And now Donald Trump smacked Russia with a reality check they never saw coming.
Trump Firmly Dismisses Russian Accusation of Ukrainian Drone Strike
President Donald Trump confidently pushed back against the Kremlin’s assertion that Ukraine launched an assault on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s residence, emphasizing U.S. intelligence findings.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday evening while heading back to Washington from Mar-a-Lago after the holiday season, Trump declared, “I don’t believe that strike happened. There is something that happened fairly nearby, but had nothing to do with this house.”
The claim originated from Russian officials, who alleged that 91 long-range drones aimed at Putin’s property in the Novgorod area—located midway between Moscow and St. Petersburg—were intercepted, as stated by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Clarification on Initial Response and Intelligence Assessment
Trump explained his earlier reaction following a December 29 phone conversation with Putin, where he had expressed strong disapproval, saying he “was very angry about it” and noting, “This is not the right time. It’s one thing to be offensive, it’s another thing to attack his house.”
Providing context for his shift, Trump added, “Because nobody knew at that moment. That was the first I heard about it. He said that his house was attacked. We don’t believe that happened, now that we’ve been able to check. But that was the first we ever heard about it.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky outright rejected the story as “typical Russian lies,” aligning with a CIA evaluation that confirmed no such incident occurred.
In light of this, Russia indicated it might reassess its role in ongoing peace talks related to its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Trump Proposes Tough Tariffs to Curb Russian Oil Funding
Demonstrating proactive measures to weaken Russia’s war efforts, Trump highlighted plans to escalate tariffs on India to discourage its purchases of Russian oil, a major revenue stream for Putin’s military operations.
He remarked, “[Prime Minister Narendra] Modi is a good guy. He knew I was not happy, and it was important to make me happy. They do trade, and we can raise tariffs on them very quickly.”
This builds on last year’s action by the Trump administration, which imposed 50% tariffs on certain Indian products for similar reasons.
Nations like China, Turkey, and Brazil also continue to buy discounted Russian oil. Trump shared these insights during a discussion with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), a proponent of bipartisan bills allowing tariffs as high as 500% on countries engaging in such trade.
