Russian President Vladimir Putin has signalled that Moscow will respond to Ukraine’s large-scale drone attacks on multiple Russian airbases, U.S. President Donald Trump revealed after a phone conversation with the Russian leader.
Speaking about the call, which lasted more than an hour, Trump said Putin made it clear that he would need to react to the recent strikes on key military sites. Said Trump:
President Putin did say, and very strongly, that he will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields.
Trump warned that while the discussion was substantial, it wouldn’t bring about an immediate end to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.
The two also touched on broader geopolitical issues, including Iran. Trump claimed that Putin expressed a willingness to assist in ongoing nuclear negotiations with Tehran.
Later in the day, the Kremlin confirmed the call and said that Trump had informed Putin that the United States was not aware in advance of Ukraine’s attack.
Ukraine has claimed responsibility for a coordinated drone assault on several Russian airbases in what it called Operation Spiderweb.
The offensive reportedly targeted military installations in Murmansk, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Ryazan, and the Amur region.
According to Ukrainian officials, 117 drones were launched, hitting 41 military aircraft—including Tu-95 and Tu-22 bombers, A-50 surveillance planes, and other strategic assets.
The plan is said to have taken over 18 months to prepare, with drones smuggled into Russian territory and launched from inside the country.
While Russia confirmed that some aircraft were damaged by fire, it also claimed that a number of the drones were successfully intercepted before reaching their targets.
More: BBC News
Putin is running scared of his own people now because he cant win and daren’t lose.