United States President Donald Trump has lambasted his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, describing him as “absolutely crazy” after Moscow launched its largest aerial assault of the conflict on Ukraine, killing a minimum of 13 folks.
Trump’s feedback, issued on his Reality Social platform late on Sunday, marked a uncommon rebuke of Putin.
“I’ve all the time had an excellent relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, however one thing has occurred to him. He has gone completely CRAZY!” the US president wrote.
“I’ve all the time stated that he desires ALL of Ukraine, not only a piece of it, and possibly that’s proving to be proper, but when he does, it can result in the downfall of Russia!” he added.
The feedback got here as Ukraine’s Air Drive stated Russia had launched a file variety of drones towards Ukraine in a single day on Sunday. It stated Russian forces deployed 298 drones and 69 missiles, however that it was in a position to down 266 drones and 45 missiles.
The Russian assault was the most important of the conflict by way of weapons fired, though different strikes have killed extra folks.
Ukraine’s emergency companies described an environment of “terror” throughout the nation on Sunday, and regional officers stated these killed included victims aged eight, 12 and 17 within the northwestern area of Zhytomyr.
Greater than 60 others had been wounded.
“With out really sturdy strain on the Russian management, this brutality can’t be stopped,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on social media.
“The silence of America, the silence of others around the globe solely encourages Putin,” he stated, including: “Sanctions will definitely assist.”
Sanctions
Trump has more and more voiced irritation with Putin and the lack to resolve the now three-year-old conflict, which the US chief had promised he would do inside days of returning to the White Home.
He had lengthy boasted of his pleasant relationship with Putin and repeatedly harassed that Russia is extra keen than Ukraine to succeed in a peace deal.
However earlier on Sunday, Trump made it clear that he’s dropping persistence with the Russian president.
“I’m not proud of what Putin’s doing. He’s killing lots of people. And I don’t know what the hell occurred to Putin,” Trump informed reporters as he departed northern New Jersey, the place he had spent a lot of the weekend.
“I’ve identified him a very long time, all the time gotten together with him, however he’s sending rockets into cities and killing folks, and I don’t prefer it in any respect.”
Requested if he was contemplating extra sanctions on Russia, Trump stated, “Completely.”
Trump additionally criticised Zelenskyy, a extra frequent goal of his ire, in his social media submit, accusing him of “doing his Nation no favours by speaking the way in which he does”.
“The whole lot out of his mouth causes issues, I don’t prefer it, and it higher cease,” he stated of Zelenskyy.
Europe condemns Russia
A peace settlement between Russia and Ukraine stays elusive.
Final week, Trump and Putin held a two-hour telephone name, after which the US chief stated Moscow and Kyiv would “instantly begin negotiations in the direction of a ceasefire”.
Putin, nonetheless, made no dedication to pause his three-year invasion of Ukraine, saying solely a imprecise proposal to work on a “memorandum” outlining Moscow’s calls for for peace.
That dialog occurred after Russian and Ukrainian officers met in Turkiye for the primary face-to-face talks since 2022. However on Thursday, the Kremlin stated no direct talks had been scheduled.
The Russian assault towards Ukraine prompted criticism from Europe, too.
The European Union’s prime diplomat, Kaja Kallas, known as for “the strongest worldwide strain on Russia to cease this conflict”. In a submit on X, she stated the assaults “once more present Russia bent on extra struggling and the annihilation of Ukraine. Devastating to see kids amongst harmless victims harmed and killed”.
German Minister for Overseas Affairs Johann Wadephul additionally denounced the assaults, saying, “Putin doesn’t need peace, he desires to hold on the conflict and we shouldn’t enable him to do that,” he stated.
“For that reason, we’ll approve additional sanctions at a European stage.”
The huge assaults on Ukraine got here as Russia stated it had exchanged one other 303 Ukrainian prisoners of conflict for a similar variety of Russian troopers held by Kyiv – the final section of a swap agreed throughout talks in Istanbul on Might 16.
That marked their largest prisoner swap since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, with 1,000 captured troopers and civilian prisoners in complete despatched again by all sides.
