China urges de‑escalation, India voices concern after alleged drone attack on Putin residence

China on Tuesday urged de‑escalation and a return to dialogue after Russia accused Ukraine of launching a drone attack targeting President Vladimir Putin’s residence. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told a press briefing in Beijing that “dialogue and negotiation are the only viable way out of the Ukraine crisis,” and called on parties to avoid expanding the battlefield, escalating fighting, or “adding fuel to the fire.”

Russian Allegations and Ukrainian Denial

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed on Monday that Ukraine used 91 long‑range strike drones to target Putin’s residence in the Novgorod region overnight. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy swiftly denied the accusation on social media, stating it aimed to “undermine all achievements of our shared diplomatic efforts with President Trump’s team.”

International Reactions

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed “deep concern” over the reported targeting of Putin’s residence, urging all sides to remain focused on diplomatic efforts to end hostilities. Meanwhile, in a Monday phone call with US President Donald Trump, Putin warned that the alleged attack “will not go unanswered.” Trump later told reporters, “I don’t like it. It’s not good.”