President Donald Trump denounced his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, describing him as “absolutely crazy” after Moscow launched the biggest air attack of the war with Ukraine, killing at least 13 people.
Trump’s comments published late Sunday on his true social platform marked Putin’s rare responsibilities.
“I’ve always had a very good relationship with Russia’s Vladimir Putin, but something happened to him. He’s absolutely crazy!” the US president wrote.
“I’ve always said that he wants everything about Ukraine, and not only that, but also proves that it’s right, but if that’s the case, it will lead to the downfall of Russia!” he added.
Comments came when the Ukrainian Air Force said Russia had launched a record number of drones against Ukraine overnight on Sunday. The Russian army deployed 298 drones and 69 missiles, but said it was able to reduce 266 drones and 45 missiles.
The Russian attacks were the biggest of the war in terms of weapons fired, but other strikes killed more people.
Ukrainian emergency services explained the atmosphere of “terror” across the country on Sunday, with local officials saying those killed include 8, 12 and 17-year-old victims from the northwest of Zhytomyr.
More than 60 other people were injured.
“There is no really strong pressure on Russian leadership and we cannot stop this atrocity,” Ukrainian Voldimi Zelenkie said on social media.
“The silence in America, the silence of others around the world only encourages Putin,” he said, “sanctions will certainly help.”
Principality
Trump has expressed increasingly frustration with Putin that he is unable to resolve the current war three years ago.
He has long boasted of friendly relations with Putin, repeatedly emphasizing that Russia would reach a peace deal more than Ukraine.
But early on Sunday, Trump revealed he had lost patience with the Russian president.
“I’m not happy about what Putin is doing. He kills a lot of people. And I don’t know what happened to Putin,” Trump told reporters as he left northern New Jersey, where he spent most of the weekend.
“I’ve known him for a long time, and I’ve always been with him, but he sends rockets to the city and kills people.
When asked if he was considering more sanctions against Russia, Trump said “absolutely.”
Trump also criticized Zelensky, the more frequent target of his rage, in his social media post, for criticizing him for not giving him the benefit of speaking as he does.
“Everything from his mouth causes problems, I don’t like it and it’s better to stop,” he said of Zelenskyy.
Europe blames Russia
The peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine remains elusive.
Last week, Trump and Putin made a two-hour call, after which US leaders said Moscow and Kiev would “will soon begin negotiations for a ceasefire.”
However, Putin did not promise to suspend a three-year invasion of Ukraine, and only published a vague proposal to tackle a “memorandum” outlining Moscow’s demands for peace.
The conversation came after Russian and Ukrainian officials met in Torkiye for their first in-person meeting since 2022. However, on Thursday, the Kremlin said there is no in-person meetings scheduled.
Russia’s attacks on Ukraine also spurred criticism from Europe.
Kaha Karas, the top European Union diplomat, called for “the strongest international pressure on Russia to stop this war.” In a post on X, she said the attack “again, it shows Russia succumbed to more suffering and the disappearance of Ukraine. It is devastating to see children among innocent victims being harmed and killed.”
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadefl also denounced the attack, saying, “Putin does not want peace, he wants to continue the war, so he should not allow him to do this.”
“For this reason, we approve further sanctions at the European level.”
The massive attack on Ukraine came when Russia said it had traded another 303 prisoners of war, including the same number of Russian soldiers held by Kiev, during a meeting held in Istanbul on May 16.
This marked their biggest prisoner swap since Moscow began a full-scale invasion in February 2022.
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