Donald Trump has been urged to slap major sanctions on Russia after the US president described Vladimir Putin as having “gone absolutely crazy” following a barrage of drone and missile attacks across Ukraine.
French president Emmanual Macron urged Trump to turn his words into action while Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelensky, who claimed the time for dialogue was over, called on the US leader to wage “increased sanctions” against Russia.
It came as Moscow launched three massive drone and missile attacks at civilian targets across Ukraine in as many days. In what Ukraine said was the largest attack of the entire full-scale invasion, Russia fired 355 drones and nine missiles, forcing civilians into underground shelters throughout the country.
Trump responded by suggesting Putin was “crazy” for stepping up attacks on Ukraine, adding that he “didn’t know what was wrong” with the Russian leader.
“Something has happened to him (Putin). He has gone absolutely CRAZY!” he wrote 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!”
Asked how he would respond, Trump said that he was “absolutely” considering tougher sanctions on Moscow. “We’ll see what we’re going to do… I don’t like what Putin is doing, not even a little bit, he’s killing people.”
But there has not yet been any indication of meaningful action by the US. The Kremlin later played down Trump’s comments, saying everyone was falling victim to “emotional overload” and thanking Trump for his attempts to broker peace — efforts the Kremlin have consistently blocked.
Leading the calls for further action on Moscow, Zelensky hit out over Russia’s attacks, suggesting that Trump had failed to put “real pressure” on Putin.
“Putin shows just how much he despises the world — the world that spends more effort on “dialogue” with him than on real pressure,” Zelensky wrote on X.
“The increase in Russian strikes should be met with increased sanctions. Russia’s disregard for diplomacy and refusal even to consider a ceasefire must be met with a freeze on Russian finances and a halt to its oil trade.”
Trump, who boasted before his inauguration that he could end the war in 24 hours, held a two-hour phone call with Putin last week which he said had gone “very well”.
But critics have suggested that Trump’s involvement in failed US-led peace talks has only emboldened Putin further, with the recent aerial onslaught dashing hope of any breakthrough in efforts to end the three-year war.
It comes after Kyiv accepted an unconditional 30-day ceasefire in March that was proposed by the US but that Moscow effectively rejected.
