Donald Trump has personally confirmed that he does not believe in any Ukrainian attack on the residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Rumors of such a shelling first appeared during a phone conversation between Trump and Putin following the US president's meeting with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky.
The call was scheduled to discuss the results of US-Ukrainian consultations, but Putin initially refused to speak, and the Russians then claimed his residence was shelled, threatening to withdraw from negotiations. Trump, hearing this, initially accused Ukraine, but Kyiv immediately refuted the claim. Later, Trump admitted his reaction was mistaken and that the incident was fabricated.
The Russian side used the situation to disrupt talks and avoid discussing joint proposals between the US and Ukraine, as well as to counter further sanctions. Due to transparent information sharing, the falsehood was quickly discovered, and Trump acknowledged he had fallen for Russian disinformation.
Experts say Moscow regularly resorts to deception to sabotage peace efforts and shift blame for failed negotiations onto Ukraine. Similar provocations occurred earlier in Putin's political career, involving Russian special services.
Overall, the event demonstrates that disinformation remains a central Russian tactic, but modern technologies make verification swift. Attention now turns to the US president's next steps and Moscow's future engagement in the peace process.
