US secretary of state casts doubt on Kremlin drone attack reports

WASHINGTON

US Secretary of State Blinken voiced doubt Wednesday about reports of a drone attack on the Kremlin and said he would take anything coming from Moscow "with a very large shaker of salt."

"First, I've seen the reports. I can't in any way validate them. We simply don't know. Second, I would take anything coming out of the Kremlin with a very large shaker of salt," Blinken said.

"We'll see what the facts are and it's really hard to comment or speculate on this without really knowing what the facts are," he added.

Blinken noted that Ukraine is under daily assault from Russian aggression, with its military forces and civilians attacked and even killed.

Russia claimed earlier that Ukraine attempted to strike the Kremlin residence with two drones, which it said were shot down. Ukraine denied any involvement in an attack on the Kremlin, which the Russian presidency defined as a “terrorist” attempt by Kyiv.

"As (Ukrainian) President (Volodymyr) Zelenskyy has repeatedly stated, Ukraine directs all available forces and funds to the liberation of its own territories, and not to the attack of foreign ones," Ukraine’s Presidential Press Secretary Serhii Nykyforov said, according to the state news agency Ukrinform.

“We regard these actions as a planned terrorist act and an attempt on the (Russian) President (Vladimir Putin), carried out on the eve of Victory Day, the May 9th Parade, at which the presence of foreign guests is also planned,” said the Kremlin.

It added that Putin was not injured by the alleged attack and Russia reserves “the right to take retaliatory measures where and when it sees fit.”

Moscow banned drone flights in the capital for the attack.