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Donald Trump called Russian President Vladimir Putin “crazy” in a strong rebuke of Moscow after a wave of aerial attacks on Ukraine.
The US president said on Sunday night that he was “not happy with what Putin is doing” after Russia hit dozens of Ukrainian cities, shattering any hopes that a record prisoner exchange completed on Sunday could lead to a cessation of hostilities.
“He is killing a lot of people. I don’t know what the hell happened to Putin,” Trump told reporters. “We’re in the middle of talking and he’s shooting rockets into Kyiv and other cities . . . I don’t like it at all.”
Later in a Truth Social post, Trump repeated his criticism of Russia’s leader and said if Putin attempted to conquer all of Ukraine, it would lead to “the downfall of Russia”.
“I’ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely CRAZY!” Trump wrote.
“He is needlessly killing a lot of people, and I’m not just talking about soldiers. Missiles and drones are being shot into Cities in 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!”
Trump also hit out at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “Everything out of his mouth causes problems, I don’t like it, and it better stop,” he said.
At least 12 people were killed and dozens more injured in Russia’s attack on Sunday, which the Ukrainian air force said was the single-largest aerial assault of the war so far — with Moscow launching 367 missiles and suicide drones. It came after another large attack on Saturday.
Zelenskyy said 30 cities and towns had been targeted in 12 regions. He urged western allies to step up their pressure on Moscow in response to the attack which he described as further evidence that Putin was not interested in peace.
“Putin must be forced to think not about launching missiles, but about ending the war,” Zelenskyy said. Each Russian air strike was “a sufficient reason for new sanctions against Russia”.
Putin has rejected US and European calls for an immediate ceasefire. So far the only agreement Moscow has lived up to is the 1,000 Ukrainian prisoners of war exchanged over the weekend for 1,000 Russian POWs.
The swap, agreed in Istanbul earlier this month when Ukraine and Russia held their first direct talks in three years, began on Friday and was conducted over the course of three days. Zelenskyy said Ukraine had returned 303 Ukrainian soldiers on Sunday in the final handover.
While the exchange was welcomed by Kyiv and marked a rare moment of co-operation with Moscow, Ukrainian officials remain sceptical of its broader significance.
Russian officials have in recent days suggested that they could again invade the Sumy and Kharkiv border regions in Ukraine’s north-east, while Putin said his army was working to create a “buffer zone” in that area.
The Russian leader has also maintained his maximalist position in regards to peace talks, which Ukrainian officials say are a sign that he plans to continue fighting the largest war on European soil in nearly a century.
A document drawn up by the Ukrainian president’s office titled “Proposed next sanctions steps for the EU” and seen by the Financial Times outlines dozens of entities and areas in Russia’s energy and financial sectors and military industrial complex that Kyiv wants to see targeted by its European partners.
Some Ukrainian officials and western analysts have warned that Russia may prepare a renewed large-scale aerial campaign, timed to coincide with a potential new ground offensive.
A surge in Russian missile and drone attacks over the weekend could be the opening phase of that broader strategy, they said.
Russia is now producing missiles and drones faster than it uses, stockpiling reserves and ratcheting up pressure on Ukraine’s stretched defences.
This uptick in Russian production means Ukraine will need further western support to sustain its defences — at a time when continued US backing is uncertain and European supplies unable to fully replace American weaponry, particularly air defences.
