Trump lashes out at Putin after Russia’s massive drone-and-missile attack on Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized the United States and the planetary assemblage Sunday for remaining soundless aft Russia unleashed what Ukrainian officials described arsenic the largest aerial battle on the state since the warfare began.

The silence, however, didn't last. President Donald Trump said Sunday connected Truth Social that Russian President Vladimir Putin is "needlessly sidesplitting a batch of people."

A Russian drone onslaught successful Kyiv, Ukraine connected Saturday.Gleb Garanich / Reuters

"I’ve ever had a precise bully narration with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but thing has happened to him," Trump wrote. "He has gone perfectly CRAZY! He is needlessly sidesplitting a batch of people, and I’m not conscionable talking astir soldiers. Missiles and drones are being changeable into Cities successful Ukraine, for nary crushed whatsoever."

Putin, Trump said, wants to instrumentality implicit each of Ukraine. But, helium warned, "it volition pb to the downfall of Russia!”

Russian forces launched a monolithic overnight barrage Saturday arsenic 367 drones and missiles targeted much than 30 cities and villages crossed Ukraine, including the capital, Kyiv. At slightest 12 radical were killed, according to officials, including 3 children, successful the bluish portion of Zhytomyr.

Emergency services evacuate a nonmigratory aft her location was destroyed by a Russian aerial onslaught successful Khmelnytskyi region, Ukraine, connected Sunday.Ukrainian Emergency Service / AP

“The soundlessness of America, the soundlessness of others successful the satellite lone encourages Putin,” Zelenskyy wrote connected Telegram. “Every specified violent Russian onslaught is crushed capable for caller sanctions against Russia.”

Trump said successful his societal media connection that Zelenskyy is not helping his country's origin by lashing retired astatine the United States.

“Everything retired of his rima causes problems, I don’t similar it, and it amended stop," Trump said, blaming the warfare connected Zelenskyy, Putin and erstwhile President Joe Biden.

I americium lone helping to enactment retired the large and disfigured fires, that person been started done Gross Incompetence and Hatred," Trump said.

Saturday’s monolithic aerial raid follows a drone onslaught Friday that killed 4 radical and coincided with the last time of a large-scale captive speech between Ukraine and Russia.

A Ukrainian serviceman hugs his woman aft returning from captivity during a captive speech betwixt Russia and Ukraine, successful Chernyhiv region, Ukraine connected Sunday.Efrem Lukatsky / AP

Meanwhile, frustrations stay implicit shifting U.S. argumentation arsenic Ukraine and its allies propulsion for a ceasefire deal.

Trump has called for an extremity to the war, but his medication has taken a softer enactment connected Russia than erstwhile ones, shifting American argumentation from supporting Ukraine toward accepting immoderate of Russia’s relationship of the war.

The attack marks a crisp departure from the full-throated enactment Ukraine enjoyed from Washington nether Biden.

While Ukraine and its European allies person pushed for a 30-day ceasefire arsenic a measurement toward ending the three-year war, those efforts suffered a setback past week erstwhile Trump declined to impose further sanctions connected Moscow for not agreeing to an contiguous intermission successful fighting.

On Monday, Trump had a two-hour telephone telephone with Putin, during which helium appeared to have dropped his earlier insistence connected a 30-day truce and suggested that helium could locomotion distant wholly from the negotiations to extremity a warfare that helium erstwhile promised to extremity connected “day one” of his 2nd statesmanlike term.

Moving independently of Washington, the European Union and the United Kingdom announced a caller circular of sanctions past week, targeting Russia’s alleged “shadow fleet” — astir 200 vessels utilized to transport Russian lipid exports globally.

The E.U. said these were the 17th acceptable of Europeans sanctions imposed connected Russia since it invaded its neighbour successful 2022.

In Washington, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers that the medication would proceed to propulsion an existing measure that could enforce a 500% tariff connected buyers of Russian lipid and state if determination was nary advancement connected a bid deal.

But, helium added that Trump “believes that close now, you commencement threatening sanctions, the Russians volition halt talking, and there’s worth successful america being capable to speech and thrust them to get to the table.”

While the bombs proceed to autumn connected Ukraine, Zelenskyy posted connected Telegram Sunday that the 3rd signifier of the “1,000-for-1,000” speech statement had been completed aft 2 exchanges past week, with pictures of returning soldiers draped successful Ukrainian flags.

The swap, the latest of dozens of exchanges since the warfare began and the biggest involving Ukrainian civilians, has not indicated an extremity to wide fighting. Battles person continued on the astir 620-mile beforehand line, sidesplitting tens of thousands of soldiers.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said past week that Moscow would springiness Ukraine a draught papers outlining its conditions for a “sustainable, long-term, comprehensive” bid agreement, erstwhile the ongoing captive speech had finished.

Trump congratulated some sides aft they struck the captive speech woody successful Istanbul.

But aft Russia’s largest onslaught yet, Kyiv remains wary of easing pressure.

“Without pressure, thing volition alteration and Russia and its allies volition lone physique up forces for specified murders successful Western countries,” Zelenskyy’s main of unit Andriy Yermak wrote connected Telegram.

“Moscow volition combat arsenic agelong arsenic it has the quality to nutrient weapons.”