Trump calls Putin 'absolutely CRAZY' after Russia's massive air attack on Ukraine

U.S. President Donald Trump has said Russian President Vladimir Putin had gone “absolutely CRAZY” following Russia’s massive aerial attack on Ukraine, but also scolded Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Posting on Truth Social on May 25, Trump said he always had “a very good relationship” with Putin, but “something has happened to him”.

He then criticised Putin for “needlessly killing a lot of people”, firing missiles and drones into Ukraine for “no reason whatsoever”.

“I’ve always said that he wants ALL of Ukraine, not just a piece of it, and maybe that’s proving to be right, but if he does, it will lead to the downfall of Russia!”

As quoted by Reuters, when asked by reporters the same day about potential sanctions on Russia, he replied “Absolutely.”

Had enough of both parties

In the same post, Trump also accused Zelensky of “doing his country no favours by talking the way he does”.

“Everything out of his mouth causes problems, I don’t like it, and it better stop. This is a War that would never have started if I were President. This is Zelensky’s, Putin’s, and Biden’s War, not Trump’s.”

Trump’s comments were made the same day Zelensky called for stronger sanctions on Russia.

“America's silence, and the silence of others in the world, only encourages Putin," he said.

The Kremlin calls Trump “emotional”

The BBC reported that when asked about Trump’s comment, Russian press secretary Dmitry Peskov suggested it might be due to an “emotional overload”.

"We are really grateful to the Americans and to President Trump personally for their assistance in organising and launching this negotiation process…This is a very important moment which is connected to an emotional overload of everyone involved and emotional reaction.”

On May 19, hardly two weeks before his comments on Truth Social, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that Russia and Ukraine would start negotiating towards a ceasefire “immediately” after a two-hour phone call with Putin.

He had then said that no further sanctions would be imposed against Russia “because there’s a chance” of progress towards a ceasefire, as quoted by CNN.

However, ceasefire talks have yet to begin.

Aerial attack on Ukraine

Trump’s remarks came the day after Russia unleashed its largest aerial attack on Ukraine since its full-scale invasion began in February 2022.

Ukraine said that on the night of May 24, Russia launched 298 drones and 69 missiles. The attack killed at least 12 people, according to the BBC.

Russia launched 355 drones and 9 missiles the following night, breaking another record as the largest attack of the war when counting drones alone.

Peskov said in a press briefing that the aerial assaults were in response to Ukraine’s previous attacks on “social” and “peaceful” infrastructure. He noted that Russia only attacked “military facilities, military targets,” as quoted by the BBC.

Russia’s defence ministry said it intercepted 96 Ukrainian drones the night of May 25, with governors confirming that no casualties or damage were involved, TASS Russian News Agency reported.

In response to the second night of aerial strikes, Zelensky once again called for increased sanctions on Russia in a post on X.

"In doing this, Putin shows just how much he despises the world - the world that spends more effort on 'dialogue' with him than on real pressure.”

The Kyiv Independent reported that since the attacks, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said that the Western allies will no longer be imposing range limits on arms delivered to Ukraine.

Merz and Zelensky are set to meet in Berlin on May 28 to discuss possible steps towards a ceasefire and new sanctions against Russia.

Top image via President Donald J. Trump/Instagram