President Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One at Morristown Municipal Airport in Morristown, N.J., on Sunday. Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP hide caption
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Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
President Trump has sharply criticized President Vladimir Putin for unleashing a storm of drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian cities Sunday evening, saying he was “not happy” with the Russian leader defying efforts to secure a ceasefire to end the three-year war.
Trump told reporters Sunday that Putin is killing a lot of people. “I don’t know what the hell happened to Putin,” Trump said. “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.”
When asked if he would consider more sanctions on Russia, Trump said “absolutely.”
Ukraine invasion — explained
Russia hits Ukraine with the largest drone-and-missile attack of the war so far
Trump went further in a social media post late Sunday, saying Putin “has gone absolutely CRAZY!” and was needlessly killing a lot of people.
The Ukrainian Air Force said the Russian attack was the largest aerial assault of the war, with Russia unleashing 355 drones and nine cruise missiles on dozens of Ukrainian cities, including the capital, Kyiv. At least 12 people were killed and dozens injured in the attacks.
The Kremlin played down Trump’s remarks. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov suggested Trump’s comments could be blamed on “emotional overload,” and thanked Trump for his efforts to end the war.
“We are really grateful to the Americans and to President Trump personally for their assistance in organizing and launching this negotiation process,” Peskov told reporters when asked about Trump’s remarks. “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.”
Ukraine invasion — explained
Trump and Putin talk more than 2 hours, but there’s no Russia-Ukraine ceasefire
Sunday’s attack followed heavy Russian bombardment on several Ukrainian cities a day earlier. More missiles rained down on Ukraine overnight into Monday.
The attacks came as Russia and Ukraine carried out a prisoner exchange, but it was only a flicker of good news in the war. There has been little sign of progress in securing a ceasefire, even after a more than two-hour phone call between Trump and Putin last week.
Ukraine has agreed to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire, proposed by the U.S., but Putin rejected it.
Writing on social media Sunday, Trump suggested Putin has larger aspirations. “I’ve always said that he wants ALL of Ukraine, not just a piece of it,” Trump wrote. “But if he does, it will lead to the downfall of Russia!”
Trump also had strong words for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with whom he’s had a prickly relationship. “Everything out of his mouth causes problems. I don’t like it, and it better stop,” he said on social media.
