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India’s former Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal told CNBC-TV18 that Moscow is unlikely to take action against Ukraine over the alleged attack on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s residence in the north of the country to keep US President Donald Trump’s peace moves alive.
Sibal said Russia may not react strongly despite sharp warnings and threats of war from the country’s top officials – if only to avoid public pressure on Trump.
“I think they will do something, but not move forward in retaliation,” he said.
Sibal also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was justified in raising concerns about the alleged attack, especially when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appeared to wish death for Putin in his Christmas message.
He also condemned Zelensky’s public statement that Putin would “perish”, and said such actions cross the boundaries of diplomacy and could set a precedent that could be emulated elsewhere.
Earlier on Tuesday, December 30, PM Modi expressed deep concern over the alleged attack and urged “all concerned” to adopt the diplomatic path and avoid actions that weaken them.
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“His (Zelensky’s) denial is meaningless because, in his Christmas Day message – and this is surprising, really surprising – it is rare for a leader of any country to wish death for another leader,” Sibal said, adding that the actual wording used was close to “tragic death”.
Russia claimed that Ukraine attacked Putin’s residence in the Novgorod region using 91 long-range unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) on the night of 28–29 December. Since then, both countries have accused each other of derailing the US-brokered peace talks.
Zelensky denied the allegations and called it a “fabricated” story.
“This alleged “residence strike” story is a complete fabrication aimed at justifying additional attacks against Ukraine, including Kiev, as well as Russia’s refusal to take the necessary steps to end the war. Typical Russian lie. Moreover, the Russians have already targeted Kiev, including the building of the Cabinet of Ministers,” he wrote on X.
Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev warned that Russia would respond with war. Medvedev wrote on
US President Donald Trump had said that he was angry at the developments at a “delicate time”.
“It’s not the right time. It’s one thing to be aggressive, because they are aggressive. It’s another thing to attack their house. This is not the right time to do anything like that,” Trump told reporters.
(edited by : Shoma Bhattacharjee,