KYIV, Ukraine — Leaders from Europe and Canada held talks Tuesday on U.S.-led efforts to end the nearly four-year war between Russia and Ukraine, as tensions rose following unverified Russian claims—strongly denied by Kyiv—of a Ukrainian drone attack targeting a residence used by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The virtual meeting included European leaders, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, heads of European Union institutions, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, according to Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
“Peace is on the horizon,” Tusk said during a Polish Cabinet meeting, as quoted by Poland’s PAP news agency.
It was the first gathering of European leaders since U.S. President Donald Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at his Florida resort on Sunday. Trump said afterward that Ukraine and Russia were “closer than ever before” to a settlement, while acknowledging significant obstacles remain.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who participated in the talks, said in a post on X that progress requires “transparency and honesty from everyone — including Russia.”
Disputed drone allegations
Merz’s comments followed a sharp exchange between Moscow and Kyiv over Russian allegations that Ukraine attempted a large-scale drone attack on a lakeside residence associated with Putin. Russian officials claimed 91 long-range drones were involved, an assertion Ukraine flatly rejected.
Trump said Monday he did not welcome the reports, adding, “I don’t like it. It’s not good,” after speaking by phone with Putin.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Russia had provided no credible evidence to support its claim. “No such attack happened,” he wrote on X, adding that Moscow has a “long record of false claims,” including denials before its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Zelenskyy also dismissed the allegation as “another lie” intended to undermine peace efforts.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov countered Tuesday that the alleged attack was designed to sabotage Trump’s diplomatic push. He did not indicate whether Russia would present physical evidence, such as drone debris, saying that would be a matter for the military and adding, “I don’t think there needs to be any evidence here.”
The claimed incident involved Russia’s Novgorod region, which hosts one of the presidency’s official residences near Valdai, about 400 kilometres northwest of Moscow.
Throughout the war, both Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of attacks that cannot be independently verified due to ongoing hostilities. The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based research group, said the Kremlin has sought to delay negotiations since the U.S. renewed diplomatic efforts earlier this year—aiming to continue the war without disruption and avoid increased pressure to negotiate.
The discussions underscore the fragile state of diplomacy as international leaders attempt to advance peace talks amid escalating rhetoric and disputed battlefield claims.