by Temitope Oladeji
26/5/2025
United States President Donald Trump has labeled Russian President Vladimir Putin “crazy” following a renewed wave of deadly drone and missile strikes against Ukraine, even as Moscow and Kyiv conducted a significant prisoner exchange.
The Russian air force launched attacks for the third consecutive night, according to Ukrainian regional officials and emergency services.
The latest barrage came just a day after the war’s most extensive aerial assault to date, which killed at least 12 people.
Among the dead were three children aged eight, 12, and 17, in Ukraine’s northwestern Zhytomyr region.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Mr. Trump wrote: “I’ve always had a perfect relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him.
He has gone CRAZY! 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!”
The former president’s remarks represented a straightforward rebuke of Putin, whom he has often praised.
Trump also expressed frustration with Russia’s refusal to make concessions in stalled truce negotiations with Ukraine.
Speaking to reporters earlier, he confirmed he was “absolutely” considering new sanctions against Moscow.
“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 said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has condemned the latest strikes and called for increased international pressure on the Kremlin.
“Without firm pressure on the Russian leadership, this brutality cannot be stopped,” he said on social media.
“The silence of America, the silence of others around the world, only encourages Putin. Sanctions will certainly help.”
President Trump, however, also aimed at President Zelensky, whom he has previously criticized.
In his social media post, Trump accused the Ukrainian leader of inflaming tensions: “Everything out of his mouth causes problems. I don’t like it, and it better stop,” he wrote.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul also condemned the Russian assault. “Putin does not want peace, he wants to continue this war.
We cannot allow him to do so,” Wadephul said. “That is why we will approve further sanctions at the European level.”
The latest strikes caused widespread damage across Ukraine.
In the capital, Kyiv, an air raid alert lasted six hours overnight, though no casualties were reported, according to Tymur Tkachenko, head of the city’s military administration.
The surrounding Kyiv region endured a combined drone and missile assault, with damage reported in three districts.
In the southern Odessa region, Russian drone strikes sparked fires and destroyed residential buildings.
Ukraine’s Emergency Service said one 100-square-meter home was razed, though the blaze was eventually extinguished.
Regional governor Oleh Kiper confirmed that a 14-year-old boy was injured.
Further north, in the Khmelnytskyi region, officials said private homes and businesses were damaged in a combined strike, though no civilian casualties were initially reported.
In Kharkiv and its outskirts in northeastern Ukraine, explosions were heard across several districts amid ongoing Russian attacks.
In central Ukraine’s Cherkasy region, authorities reported that 25 Russian drones had been intercepted overnight. However, there were no reports of injuries or structural damage, officials said.
The intensifying Russian offensive has coincided with a rare prisoner exchange between the two countries, a reminder of the continued volatility in a war entering its third year with no diplomatic resolution in sight.