The United States has rejected Moscow’s claims that it was behind an alleged Ukrainian drone attack on the Kremlin targeting Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Kyiv denies involvement in what Moscow says was a strike by two drones on the roof of a Kremlin building in the early hours of Wednesday, which prompted former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev to call for the “physical elimination” of Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
“Attempts to disavow this in Kyiv and in Washington are, of course, absolutely laughable,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.
“We know full well that such decisions about these kinds of actions, about such terrorist acts, are not taken in Kyiv, but precisely in Washington. And then Kyiv does what they tell it to do,” he added.
The Kremlin has not presented evidence to back up its claims, or explained how Ukraine could have flown drones at least 500km from its border to the very heart of Moscow, evading Russian air defence systems at a time of war.
“I can assure you that there was no involvement by the United States … We had nothing to do with it. Peskov is just lying there, pure and simple,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby told US television. “I mean, it’s obviously a ludicrous claim … We don’t even know what happened here.”
Some Ukrainian officials and western analysts say the incident may have been staged by the Russian authorities to whip up fear and generate more public zeal for an invasion that has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions in Ukraine, while isolating Russia’s people and economy from the West.
Mr Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s security council, said that there were now “no options left except for the physical elimination of Zelenskiy and his cabal. He is not even needed to sign an act of unconditional surrender.”
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell urged Russia “not to use this alleged attack as an excuse to continue the escalation of the war … This is what worries us: this can be used to justify more conscription of people, more soldiers, more attacks on Ukraine.”
Taking to Twitter in English, Mr Medvedev responded by calling Mr Borrell “an impudent old fool”, and saying that an alleged attack “committed by the Kyiv authorities, guided by the US, and approved by the EU leadership” would lead to precisely the kind of escalation that “Washington and many dumbheads in Brussels want”.
On a visit to The Hague, Mr Zelenskiy urged Netherlands prime minister Mark Rutte and Belgian counterpart Alexander de Croo “to help us implement the agreements on military assistance as quickly as possible. It is very important that we are working to create a coalition of armoured vehicles to complement the existing coalition of tanks.”
He also pressed them to support the provision of western warplanes to Ukraine: “There is no rational reason to postpone such decisions. To train our pilots and to strengthen the wings for Ukraine means to speed up the peace we all want.”
Mr Rutte said there were “no taboos” on discussing whether to give US-made F-16s or similar jets to Ukraine.
“We are working closely with our partners Belgium, others, UK, Denmark, on getting that debate somehow to a conclusion. We are not there yet,” he added.
Mr Zelenskiy also restated Kyiv’s determination to see Mr Putin and senior allies prosecuted over Russia’s invasion and atrocities allegedly committed by its forces.
“We will work without any hybrid formats, we will work on a specific tribunal to ensure accountability for their crimes, murders, and torture. We understand who gave the orders. These people must not be untouchable,” he said.
