US President Donald Trump on Sunday called his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, "crazy" for launching one of the biggest airstrikes on Ukraine since the start of the war. He also warned Moscow that any attempt at a total takeover of Ukraine 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! 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," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
"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!" he added.
Trump has expressed admiration for Putin in the past, but has in recent weeks shown growing frustration with Moscow's position in truce negotiations with Kyiv, which are deadlocked. Earlier, the American leader also issued a rare rebuke to Putin, saying he was "not happy" with him after Moscow launched a record number of drones against Ukraine, killing 13 people across the country.
"I'm not happy with what Putin is doing. He's killing a lot of people, and I don't know what the hell happened to Putin," said Trump on the tarmac at Morristown airport before boarding Air Force One bound for Washington.
"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 Slams Zelensky
The US leader also blasted his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, for "talking the way he does."
"Everything out of his mouth causes problems, I don't like it, and it better stop," he said.
Trump reiterated his claim that the war between Russia and Ukraine would never have started if he were the President of the United States at the time.
"This is a War that would never have started if I were President. This is Zelenskyy's, Putin's, and Biden's War, not "Trump's," I am only helping to put out the big and ugly fires, that have been started through Gross Incompetence and Hatred," he added.
Russia Intensifies Attacks On Ukraine
Russia's attacks on Ukraine came as the two countries completed their biggest prisoner swap since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, with 1,000 captured soldiers and civilian prisoners sent back by each side. Those killed in the latest Russian strikes included two children, aged eight and 12, and a 17-year-old, killed in the northwestern region of Zhytomyr, officials said.
"Without truly strong pressure on the Russian leadership, this brutality cannot be stopped," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on social media.
Responding to a question on the tarmac in Morristown, Trump said he was "absolutely" considering increasing US sanctions on Russia in response to the latest violence.
"He's killing a lot of people. I don't know what's wrong with him. What the hell happened to him, right? He's killing a lot of people. I'm not happy about that," said the US leader.
That statement was at odds with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's testimony at Congress earlier this week, when he said Trump believed that "right now, if you start threatening sanctions, the Russians will stop talking."
Trump and Putin held a two-hour phone call on Monday, after which the US leader said Moscow and Kyiv would "immediately start negotiations towards a ceasefire."
Putin has made no commitment to pause his three-year invasion of Ukraine, announcing only a vague proposal to work on a "memorandum" outlining Moscow's demands for peace.
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