Vladimir Putin. Photo: rbk.ru.
Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev strongly condemned an attempted attack on the residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin in Russia’s Novgorod region. The issue was discussed by the two leaders in a phone call on December 30, according to the Uzbek president’s press service.
Mirziyoyev said such acts pose a threat to stability and security, including to efforts aimed at achieving long-term peace.
The two presidents also discussed further development of the Uzbek–Russian strategic partnership and alliance in the context of agreements reached at the highest level. They exchanged views on current international issues and congratulated each other, as well as the peoples of both countries, on the upcoming New Year.
According to the Akorda press service, Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev also expressed condemnation of the attempted attack on the Russian leader’s state residence in the Novgorod region during a conversation with Putin. Tokayev noted that such actions do not contribute to advancing the peace process or to finding a political solution to the conflict.
At the same time, Tokayev welcomed the emerging progress in negotiations on a settlement in Ukraine and stressed the importance of continuing political and diplomatic efforts aimed at reaching sustainable agreements.
During the phone call, the leaders also discussed the current state of bilateral cooperation, noting that the outgoing year had been active and productive for Kazakh–Russian relations. They concluded by exchanging New Year’s greetings and wishing prosperity and well-being to the peoples of both countries.
Kyrgyzstan’s President Sadyr Japarov also responded to reports of the attempted attack on Putin’s residence. According to his press secretary, Askat Alagozov, the head of state expressed serious concern over the incident. Japarov said such events cause grave тревогу, as they could undermine efforts being made toward a political and diplomatic resolution of the Ukraine crisis.
Earlier, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that on the night of December 28–29, “Kyiv carried out a terrorist attack on the residence of the president of Russia in the Novgorod region.” According to Lavrov, 91 drones were involved in the attack and all were destroyed by air defense forces. He added that Russian military forces had identified targets for a retaliatory strike.
