Donald Trump’s knee-jerk remarks about an alleged attack on Vladimir Putin‘s home indicate an alarming willingness to side with the Kremlin over Ukraine, a former UK Government minister has said. The comments came amid rising tensions over disputed drone strikes and ongoing Russian attacks on Ukrainian territory.

Analysts warn that such off-the-cuff statements risk complicating delicate peace negotiations and emboldening Moscow’s narrative. Tobias Ellwood, a former Conservative MP and British Army officer, said Mr Trump reacted impulsively to unverified claims from Moscow because the alleged strike threatened his push for a peace deal.

Mr Ellwood said: “Trump’s knee jerk reaction was to blame Ukraine—hence anger that attacking Putin’s residence would scupper his peace deal efforts. Now Ukraine has been exonerated Trump had to update his position. That said I don’t believe this will change Trump’s long standing support for Russia.”

Russian authorities claimed earlier this week that Ukrainian forces attempted to strike one of Vladimir Putin’s state residences in Novgorod Oblast using drones. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said air defences destroyed 91 drones and warned Russia would revise its negotiating position on Ukraine in response.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the alleged incident as a “terrorist attack” and said Moscow would “toughen” its stance, while adding that President Putin would continue dialogue with President Trump despite the claims.

Ukraine flatly denied responsibility. President Volodymyr Zelensky described the allegations as “obviously fake”, while Ukrainian officials accused Moscow of manufacturing pretexts to undermine peace efforts. Residents in the Valdai area of Novgorod Oblast reported hearing no air-defence activity on the night of the alleged attack.

The Russian Defence Ministry later reiterated its claims, alleging drones were launched from Ukraine’s Sumy and Chernihiv regions and publishing purported flight paths, though the allegations could not be independently verified.

The diplomatic row comes as Russia accused Ukraine of killing 27 civilians in a drone strike on a cafe and hotel in the Russian-occupied village of Khorly in Ukraine’s Kherson region. Russia’s Investigative Committee said the strike occurred during New Year celebrations and injured 31 others, including children.

Ukraine denied attacking civilian targets. General Staff spokesman Dmytro Lykhovii said Ukrainian forces “adhere to the norms of international humanitarian law” and strike only military and energy infrastructure. He said Russia was using disinformation to disrupt ongoing peace negotiations.

The Associated Press said it could not independently verify claims made by either side.

Against that backdrop, Mr Ellwood warned that Mr Trump’s readiness to accept Kremlin narratives risked skewing international responses at a sensitive moment in negotiations.

The comments also come as Ukraine’s leadership underwent a major reshuffle. Mr Zelensky appointed military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov as head of the Office of the President following the resignation of Andrii Yermak amid a corruption investigation. Zelensky said the move was intended to sharpen Ukraine’s focus on security, defence and diplomacy as the war enters its fourth year.

Mr Budanov, 39, has led Ukraine’s military intelligence since 2020 and has overseen operations targeting Russian command structures and logistics far beyond the front lines.

Meanwhile, fighting continued across the region. Russian forces launched one of their largest drone attacks on Zaporizhzhia, damaging residential buildings, while Ukraine said it intercepted 86 of 116 long-range drones overnight. Russian officials also reported missile and drone attacks in Belgorod region, injuring two civilians.

Mr Ellwood’s comments underline growing concern among European officials that Trump’s instinctive reactions — particularly when echoing Kremlin claims — could destabilise negotiations and weaken Western unity at a critical stage in the conflict.