Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday denied Moscow’s allegation that Ukraine had tried to assassinate Russian leader Vladimir Putin after Russia announced the shooting down of two drones trying to fly over the Kremlin.
“We didn’t attack Putin… we fight on our territory, we are defending our villages and cities,” Zelensky told a press conference with Nordic leaders in Helsinki.
“We did not attack Putin or Moscow. We don’t have enough weapons for that, ”he added.
Russia said on Wednesday it had shot down two drones targeting Putin’s Kremlin residence in what it called a “terrorist” Ukrainian assassination attempt. “The devices have been deactivated,” a Kremlin statement said.
Moscow added that Putin was not injured and there were no casualties.
Asked why Moscow would accuse Kiev, Zelensky replied: “Russia has no victories. He (Putin) can no longer motivate his society and can no longer send his military to die for nothing,” he said.
The Ukrainian leader participated this Wednesday in a summit in Helsinki that brought together the leaders of the five Nordic nations. Zelensky reaffirmed that Ukraine intends to become a member of NATO, while Nordic members of the Atlantic Alliance issued a statement ensuring that they “will continue to support Ukraine on its path to future membership”.
“Ukraine is already a de facto member of NATO and we are really cooperating for the common defense good,” Zelensky said.
