Key Points – Following a massive Russian drone and missile assault on Ukrainian cities over the weekend (May 24-25th), which killed at least 30 people, US President Donald Trump strongly condemned Vladimir Putin, calling him “absolutely CRAZY” and stating he was “not happy” with the Russian leader’s actions.
-This sharp rebuke came after a recent two-hour phone call between the two leaders aimed at fostering peace. Trump now indicates he is “absolutely” considering new sanctions against Russia.
-European leaders, including French President Macron, urged tougher Western action, while the Kremlin dismissed Trump’s comments as an “emotional overload.”
What Will Trump Do Now in Ukraine After Putin’s Largest Drone Attack
President Trump was upset with Russian President Vladimir Putin after Russia launched its biggest drone attack on Ukraine Sunday since the more than three-year war began, a Ukrainian official said Monday.
President Trump said Russian leader Vladimir Putin had gone “absolutely crazy” in stepping up his country’s bombing of Ukraine just as the US tries to broker a peace agreement.
The attack involved the launch of 355 drones, Yuriy Ihnat, head of the Ukrainian Air Force’s communications department, told The Associated Press.
The previous night, Russia fired 298 drones and 69 missiles of various types in what Ukrainian authorities said was the largest combined aerial assault during the conflict.
Overall, from Friday to Sunday, Russia launched around 900 drones at Ukraine, officials said.
Trump Losing Patience With Putin
“I’ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely CRAZY!” President Trump wrote Sunday night in a post on his Truth Social platform.
“Putin is needlessly killing a lot of people,” Mr. Trump said, pointing out that “missiles and drones are being shot into Cities in Ukraine, for no reason whatsoever.”
He warned that if Putin wants to conquer all of Ukraine, it will “lead to the downfall of Russia!” On Sunday, before boarding Air Force One in Morristown, NJ, Trump doubled down on his comments.
“I’m not happy with what Putin’s doing. He’s killing a lot of people. And I don’t know what the hell happened to Putin. I’ve known him a long time, always gotten along with him, but he’s sending rockets into cities and killing people, and I don’t like it at all.”
Trump’s frustration over the war involves Ukraine, too.
Trump has also said he’s unhappy with the rhetoric from Kyiv and Ukrainian President Zelensky, too, saying that he’s “doing his Country no favors by talking the way he does.”
Trump added that he believes neither side is doing enough to move toward a peaceful solution.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that the latest Russian drone and missile strikes “show the extent to which President Putin has lied to the Europeans and to the Americans.”
He said that Ukraine’s allies should, with US support, set Putin a deadline “so that finally everyone can understand that he is lying and that beyond this deadline, massive retaliation is carried out, in particular in terms of sanctions.”
The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, also said the bloc intended to impose more sanctions on Moscow: “Russia is bent on more suffering and the annihilation of Ukraine,” she said.
Russia Calls Trump “Emotional” After His Ukraine Statements
Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov has dismissed President Donald Trump’s criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin, attributing it to “emotional overload” following the weekend’s airstrikes in Ukraine.
“We are really grateful to the Americans and to President Trump personally for their assistance in organizing and launching this negotiation process,” Peskov said in response to recent remarks from Trump, according to Reuters.
“Of course, at the same time, this is a very crucial moment, which is associated, of course, with the emotional overload of everyone absolutely and with emotional reactions,” Peskov added.
Last week, Trump and Putin had a two-hour phone call to discuss a US-proposed ceasefire deal to halt the fighting.
President Trump said he believed the call had gone “very well,” adding that Russia and Ukraine would “immediately start” negotiations toward a ceasefire and “an end to the war.”
Ukraine has publicly agreed to a 30-day ceasefire. Still, Putin has only stated that Russia will work with Ukraine to craft a “memorandum” on a “possible future peace” – a move described by Kyiv and its European allies as merely a delaying tactic, which it is.
What Are Trump’s Next Moves?
A reporter asked Trump to say if he was now seriously considering “putting more sanctions on Russia,” Trump replied: “Absolutely. He’s killing a lot of people. What the hell happened to him?”
Last week, before the phone call, which was alternatively described as ranging from despondent to apoplectic, Trump refused to add the “bone-crushing sanctions” at the time. Opinions vary on whether Trump told European leaders that Putin did not want peace or simply that Putin thought he was winning.
There is still a possibility that Trump will become completely frustrated and decide to walk away from the entire fiasco. However, Europe has adapted and is now in a much better position to promote a peace narrative.
Alexander Stubb, the Finnish president, said that Europe must understand Trump’s perspective on great-power politics and find a way to correct him. “What we fail to see in Europe is that the US and its foreign policy doctrine are based on global competition, not Ukraine and Russia. We have to get out of the mindset that the US is only focused on Ukraine. It is not.”
However, it now appears that Trump will impose additional sanctions on Russia. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the Wall Street Journal, “President Trump has been clear he wants to see a negotiated peace deal,” adding, “President Trump has also smartly kept all options on the table,” as quoted in the report by the Wall Street Journal.
About the Author:
Steve Balestrieri is a National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing on defense, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in many military publications
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