Russia suggests Trump has ‘emotional overload’ after calling Putin ‘crazy’ over Ukraine attacks
It’s getting personal.
After President Trump slammed Russian strongman Vladimir Putin as “crazy” for Russia’s record bombardment of Ukraine, the Kremlin shot back that the American commander in chief is suffering from “emotional overload.”
The war of words marks a change of tone after Trump spent months praising Putin, then pleading with him in an attempt to broker a cease-fire — and ultimately an end to the largest military conflict in Europe since the Second World War.
It came after Moscow fired more than 300 missiles and drones at Ukraine overnight Sunday, killing 13 civilians.
“I’ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him,” Trump raged on Truth Social in the wake of Moscow’s deadly barrages.
“He has gone absolutely CRAZY! He is needlessly killing a lot of people, and I’m not just talking about soldiers. Missiles and drones are being shot into Cities in Ukraine, for no reason whatsoever.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, however, dismissed the president’s worries and claimed that Russia was still committed to peace.
“We are really grateful to the Americans and to President Trump personally for their assistance in organizing and launching this negotiation process,” Peskov said Monday.
“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.”
Despite the remarks, the Kremlin opted to fire a third-consecutive mass barrage on Monday across 10 Ukrainian regions — a sign that peace is nowhere near close.
Ukraine’s air force reported more than 360 “air attack vehicles” — including nine cruise missiles and 335 attack drones fired in the latest bombardment.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky slammed the attacks as further proof that Moscow was stringing Trump along following his phone call with Putin last week, where Russia claimed it was ready to engage in real peace talks.
“Over 900 attack drones launched against Ukraine in just three days, along with ballistic and cruise missiles. There is no military logic in this, but it is a clear political choice of Russia – the choice to keep waging war,” Zelensky said in a statement.
“Only a sense of complete impunity can allow Russia to carry out such strikes and constantly increase their scale,” he added.
Putin’s actions show he “despises the world” and are proof that Ukraine’s allies need to force Moscow to come to the table, he said.
In response to the weekend’s attacks, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Monday that the UK, France, Germany and the US had agreed to lift all restrictions on Ukraine’s use of long-range weapons supplied by the western allies.
Previously, Kyiv had been restricted to only attacking Russian military targets in occupied Ukrainian territories, with few exceptions.
Merz said the move was necessary to stop Putin from “ruthlessly bombing cities, kindergartens, hospitals and care homes.”
“We will do everything in our power to continue supporting Ukraine,” Mertz said in a statement. “This also means no longer having any range restrictions on the weapons we supply.
Ukraine has agreed to an unconditional 30-day cease-fire proposed by the US, but Putin has repeatedly rejected it.
Zelensky and independent analysts have reasoned that Russia is calling Trump’s bluff and trying to buy time to conquer as much territory as possible.
The Kremlin has maintained that it will not accept any concessions in the peace talks, claiming its invasion will only end if it’s allowed to keep all the land currently occupied by its military.
Additionally, Russia’s demands for peace have changed little since the early days of the war, and would effectively end Ukraine’s status as an soveriegn nation.
Moscow currently occupies 20% of Ukraine, with Trump suggesting that Putin has larger aspirations as the Russian army continues to make slow but steady progress across the frontlines.
“I’ve always said that he wants ALL of Ukraine, not just a piece of it,” Trump wrote on his social media platform. “But if he does, it will lead to the downfall of Russia!”
Trump has previously questioned Putin’s commitment to peace, with the president saying last month that he believes Russia needed to be “dealt with differently” after Moscow snubbed his call to stop attacking civilian areas.
The White House, however, has yet to change its approach as Russia’s attacks only intensify, with Moscow launching attack just hours after Trump and Putin spoke by phone last wek
The American commander in chief has also repeatedly signaled that the US may distance itself from mediation efforts despite his campaign promise to end the conflict.
Following Russia’s latest attack, Trump said the ones to blame for the ongoing fighting were Zelensky, Putin and Biden.
“Everything out of [Zelensky’s] mouth causes problems, I don’t like it, and it better stop. This is a War that would never have started if I were President,” Trump said.
“This is Zelensky’s, Putin’s, and Biden’s War, not ‘Trump’s,’ I am only helping to put out the big and ugly fires, that have been started through Gross Incompetence and Hatred.”
The war has raged on for more than three years after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
While Ukraine and Russia have kept the official death toll secret throughout the war, Zelensky admitted in February that more than 46,000 of his soldiers have died since the start of Moscow’s invasion.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights estimates that at least 13,000 civilians have been killed through April of this year.
Meanwhile, the BBC Russian Service confirmed that Moscow has lost at least 106,000 Russian soldiers in Ukraine as of December 31, 2024 — though other estimates range as high at 237,000 deaths.
The UK estimated earlier this month that overall Russian casualties have reached 950,000.
