ISLAMABAD, December 30. /TASS/. Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari has condemned Kiev’s attempted attack on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s state residence in the Novgorod Region, saying that such incidents may undermine efforts toward a peaceful settlement of the conflict in Ukraine, his press service said.
"The president stated that at this critical moment, when the settlement talks are at a delicate phase, actions intensifying tensions are extremely counterproductive," it said, adding that Zardari called on the parties to the conflict to show maximum restraint and resolve their disputes through dialogue and diplomacy.
Earlier, Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif condemned the attack on Putin’s residence as a "heinous act threatening peace, security and stability." He expressed his solidarity with the Russian president, government, and people.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told journalists earlier in the day that overnight to December 29 the Kiev regime had attempted a terrorist attack on President Vladimir Putin’s state residence in the Novgorod Region with the use of 91 long-range combat drones. All of them were jammed by Russian electronic warfare tools, he said, adding that no casualties or damage were reported.
In turn, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said that during a phone call with Trump, Putin drew attention to Kiev’s attack, which took place "almost immediately" after the US-Ukraine talks in Mar-a-Lago, and warned that it would not go "unanswered." The Russian leader also told Trump that Moscow’s position in negotiations to resolve the conflict would be revised.