by Temitope Oladeji
26/5/2025
The Kremlin has dismissed former U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent remarks about Vladimir Putin as the product of “emotional overload,” following a record-breaking Russian aerial assault on Ukraine that left 13 dead and dozens injured.
Posting on Truth Social on Sunday, President Trump sharply criticized the Russian president in the wake of Moscow’s largest combined aerial attack since the start of its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
“Something has happened to Putin,” Trump wrote. “He has gone crazy. Needlessly killing a lot of people.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded on Monday, attributing Trump’s comments to heightened emotions.
“These statements appear to be the result of emotional overload affecting everyone involved,” Peskov said.
Russia launched 367 drones and missiles overnight from Saturday into Sunday, targeting multiple Ukrainian cities.
The following night, from Sunday into Monday, an additional 355 drones were fired, killing at least 10 more people. Ukrainian officials described the barrage as the most intense drone attack since the war began.
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine denounced the strikes as politically motivated.
“There is no military logic to these attacks. It is a deliberate political decision by Putin, a choice to continue the war and destroy lives,” Zelensky said.
Russia, meanwhile, claimed the aerial campaign was a response to Ukrainian attacks on its civilian infrastructure. The Russian Defence Ministry reported the interception of 20 Ukrainian drones over several regions.
In the wake of the Russian offensive, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced that Ukraine’s allies had lifted previous range restrictions on Western-supplied weaponry.
Merz indicated this would enable Ukraine to strike military targets inside Russian territory, an option Kyiv has largely avoided until now.
“This means Ukraine can now defend itself, including by targeting military sites within Russia. Until recently, such actions were limited. Now they are permitted, with very few exceptions,” Merz said.
The Taurus missile, with a range of approximately 500 kilometers, would significantly extend Ukraine’s long-range strike capabilities. Russia has warned that such a supply would be a “dangerous move.”
Meanwhile, international precedent for expanded arms use continues to grow.
The United Kingdom last year affirmed Ukraine’s right to determine the use of British-supplied weapons, and in November, former U.S. President Joe Biden authorized Ukraine to use American long-range missiles against Russia under certain conditions.