Russia accuses Ukraine of preparing ‘provocation’ to disrupt Trump-Putin summit

ISTANBUL

Russia on Tuesday accused Ukraine of preparing what it described as a “provocation” with the intention to disrupt the upcoming summit between President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump in Alaska on Friday.

Citing “available information received through several channels,” a statement by the Defense Ministry accused Ukraine of planning an airstrike on a densely populated residential area or hospital, which it claimed would then be reported by foreign media journalists to “create a negative media background and conditions for the disruption of Russian-American cooperation on issues of resolving the conflict in Ukraine.”

“For this purpose, a group of foreign media journalists were delivered to the city of Chuhuiv in the Kharkiv region (in northeastern Ukraine) by SBU (Ukraine’s Security Service) vehicles on Monday, August 11,” the statement claimed.

The ministry also claimed that "provocations" are possible in other settlements.

Ukrainian authorities did not immediately comment on the claims.

Putin and Тrump will hold a summit in Alaska to discuss how to end the Ukraine war, in what will be the first face-to-face meeting between sitting Russian and US presidents since the start of the conflict, which is nearing three-and-a-half years.