Kremlin Responds After Trump Calls Putin ‘Absolutely Crazy’ Over Ukraine Attacks
By Laura Gozzi & Jaroslav Lukiv | BBC News
Published: 11 hours ago
The Kremlin has fired back at U.S. President Donald Trump after he described Russian leader Vladimir Putin as “absolutely crazy” in response to Moscow’s largest drone and missile attack on Ukraine.
In a Truth Social post on Sunday, Trump reacted to Russia’s aerial onslaught—which involved 367 drones and missiles and left at least 13 dead—by saying, “Something has happened to him… he has gone absolutely crazy, needlessly killing a lot of people.”
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov responded on Monday, saying Trump’s remarks were due to “emotional overload” in light of the ongoing conflict.
The attack over the weekend marked Russia’s most intense aerial assault since the war began in February 2022. Ukrainian officials reported another wave of 355 drones launched overnight into Monday, killing 10 and injuring many more in what the Ukrainian Air Force called the largest drone-only strike so far.
President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the strikes as lacking any military logic, calling them a “political choice by Putin… to continue the war and destroy lives.”
Meanwhile, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced a key policy shift: Ukraine is now free to strike targets within Russia using Western-supplied weapons. This paves the way for a possible delivery of long-range Taurus missiles, which have a range of up to 500 kilometers—far more than previous aid packages.
Though unconfirmed, reports suggest Zelensky may visit Berlin this week, possibly linked to this new arms development.
Trump’s Comments Stir Tensions
Speaking in New Jersey, Trump said, “I’ve known Putin a long time… but he’s sending rockets into cities and killing people. I don’t like it at all.”
While Trump threatened more sanctions on Russia, he also criticized Ukrainian President Zelensky, saying his rhetoric was “causing problems” and “better stop.” Trump has long claimed Putin wants “all of Ukraine,” not just parts of it—warning such ambition could lead to Russia’s downfall.
Despite the escalation, Trump emphasized ongoing diplomatic efforts. Last week, he and Putin held a two-hour phone call discussing a possible ceasefire. Trump said both sides would “immediately start” negotiations toward ending the war.
Russia, however, has only agreed to work on a future “memorandum” regarding peace. Kyiv and its Western backers say this is just a stalling tactic.
A glimmer of progress came with a recent prisoner swap, but the broader ceasefire talks—resumed for the first time since 2022 in Istanbul—have shown little movement. Russia still holds around 20% of Ukrainian territory, including Crimea.
