KYIV, Ukraine (AP) 鈥� Leaders from Europe and Canada held talks Tuesday on to end the between Russia and Ukraine, as Moscow and Kyiv sparred over Russian claims, denied by Ukraine, of a mass drone attack on a lakeside residence used by President Vladimir Putin.
The virtual meeting included European leaders as well as Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, heads of European institutions and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, according to Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
鈥淧eace is on the horizon,鈥� Tusk told a Polish Cabinet meeting. But he added: “It is still far from a 100% certainty.鈥�
It was the first meeting of European leaders since U.S. President Donald at his Florida resort on Sunday. Trump insisted that Ukraine and Russia are 鈥渃loser than ever before鈥� to a peace settlement, although he acknowledged that outstanding obstacles could still prevent a deal.
Zelenskyy on Tuesday announced plans for upcoming meetings with officials from about 30 countries, dubbed the Coalition of the Willing, which support Kyiv鈥檚 effort to end the war with Russia on acceptable terms.
National security advisers from those countries aim to meet in Ukraine on Jan. 3, followed by a meeting of the countries鈥� leaders on Jan. 6 in France, he said on social media. He thanked Trump administration officials for their readiness to participate but provided no further details.
鈥淲e are moving the peace process forward,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who attended Tuesday’s talks, said in a post on X. “Transparency and honesty are now required from everyone 鈥� including Russia.鈥�
His pointed reference to Russia came after Russian and Ukrainian officials exchanged bitter accusations over Moscow鈥檚 allegations that Ukraine attempted to attack the Russian leader鈥檚 residence in northwestern Russia with 91 long-range drones almost immediately after Trump鈥檚 Sunday talks with Zelenskyy.
The claims and counterclaims threatened to derail peace efforts. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 like it. It鈥檚 not good,鈥� Trump said Monday after Putin told him by phone about the alleged attack.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha noted Tuesday that Russia 鈥渟till hasn鈥檛 provided any plausible evidence鈥� to support its allegations.
Moscow won鈥檛 do so because 鈥渘o such attack happened,鈥� he wrote on X.
鈥淩ussia has a long record of false claims,鈥� he added, referencing the Kremlin鈥檚 denials it intended to attack Ukraine ahead of its Feb. 24, 2022, all-out invasion of its neighbor.
Zelenskyy, speaking Monday, also branded the allegation as 鈥渁nother lie鈥� from Moscow designed to sabotage peace efforts.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov countered Tuesday that the alleged Ukrainian attack is 鈥渁imed at thwarting President Trump鈥檚 efforts to promote a peaceful resolution鈥� to the war.
Russia and Ukraine have throughout the war exchanged accusations about attacks that cannot be independently verified because of the fighting.
Peskov didn’t say whether Moscow would present physical evidence of the attack, such as drone wreckage, saying that such a step would be a matter for Russia鈥檚 military. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think there needs to be any evidence here,鈥� he said.
The rural Novgorod region is home to one of the Russian presidency鈥檚 official residences, Dolgie Borody, close to the town of Valdai, about 400 kilometers (250 miles) northwest of Moscow. The area has been used to host a vacation retreat for high-ranking government officials since the Soviet era.
The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington think tank, said that since Trump launched a diplomatic push at the start of the year to end the war, 鈥渢he Kremlin has sought to delay and prolong peace negotiations in order to continue its war undisturbed, prevent the U.S. from imposing measures intended to pressure Russia into meaningful negotiations, and even to extract concessions about bilateral U.S.-Russian relations.鈥�
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Davies reported from Leicester, England. Jamey Keaten in Geneva contributed.
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