US President Donald Trump on Sunday described Russian President Vladimir Putin as “crazy” following a wave of deadly drone attacks launched by Moscow against Ukraine, even as the two nations carried out their largest prisoner exchange since the war began.
At least 13 people were killed in the overnight barrage, which saw Russia deploy a record number of drones. “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 on his Truth Social platform.
He added, “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’s comments marked a rare public rebuke of Putin, whom he has often spoken of positively. But with truce talks between Russia and Ukraine deadlocked, Trump expressed growing frustration with Moscow’s actions. Speaking to reporters earlier on Sunday, he said he was “not happy” with the latest attacks and “absolutely” considering tougher sanctions.
“He’s sending rockets into cities and killing people, and I don’t like it at all,” Trump stated.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s emergency services described the strikes as a campaign of “terror,” with young victims among the dead in the Zhytomyr region. President Volodymyr Zelensky called for more international pressure on Moscow, saying, “Without truly strong pressure on the Russian leadership, this brutality cannot be stopped.”
Zelensky also criticized what he called the “silence” of the U.S. and other countries, insisting that stronger sanctions would help deter future attacks.
Trump, however, took aim at Zelensky, saying, “Everything out of his mouth causes problems. I don’t like it, and it better stop.”
European leaders echoed Zelensky’s demand for tougher sanctions. EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, and German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul both condemned the strikes and called for increased international action against Russia.
Ukraine’s military said it had intercepted 45 missiles and 266 drones — the largest number ever launched in a single night. Despite the defense efforts, significant casualties were reported in several regions including Kyiv, Khmelnytskyi, Mykolaiv, and Zaporizhzhia.
Russia claimed its strikes were targeting Ukraine’s “military-industrial complex” and said it had downed 110 Ukrainian drones in return.
Despite the escalating violence, the two countries completed a major prisoner exchange, swapping 303 captives each — their largest since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022. An AFP correspondent saw newly freed Ukrainian soldiers arrive at a hospital in the Chernigiv region. Some were emaciated but smiling.
One of them, 58-year-old Viktor Syvak, who had been held for over three years, said of his release: “It’s impossible to describe. I can’t put it into words.”
What you should know
President Trump’s condemnation of Putin, coupled with a potential shift in U.S. sanctions policy, marks a rare hardline stance amid intensifying violence in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the historic prisoner swap offers a brief moment of relief in an otherwise bleak chapter of the ongoing war.
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