ISTANBUL

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Thursday that the military aircraft targeted by Ukrainian drone attacks will be repaired, arguing that the planes were damaged but not destroyed.

“These aircraft were not destroyed, only damaged. They will be repaired,” Ryabkov told state news agency TASS.

Ukraine launched a surprise attack to strike Russian airbases on 1 June, targeting what it said were long-range bombers.

Ryabkov criticized Ukraine’s narrative surrounding the attacks as “inconsistent,” saying the Russian side expected a response from Washington before the incident was raised during a phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US counterpart Donald Trump.

“We asked the US to react before the conversation,” Ryabkov said.

Trump on Wednesday said Putin told him "that he will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields."