“What The Hell?”: Trump Slams Putin As “Absolutely Crazy” After Largest Russian Attack On Ukraine

U.S. President Donald Trump says Vladimir Putin has gone “absolutely crazy,” less than a week after describing him as a “nice gentleman.”

His remarks followed a wave of Russian strikes that killed at least 12 people and injured 60 across 30 Ukrainian cities and villages.

Among those killed in Zhytomyr were at least three children who were siblings, Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mariana Betsa said.

Overnight Saturday, Russia launched nearly 300 drones and almost 70 missiles, including ballistic ones—the largest number in a single night since 2022.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said residential buildings were targeted and destroyed, including a dormitory at a university in Kyiv.

He called for new sanctions on Russia and said the silence of America was encouraging Putin.

“Each such terrorist Russian strike is a sufficient reason for new sanctions against Russia. Russia is dragging out this war and continues to kill every day,” he wrote on X.

“The world may go on a weekend break, but the war continues, regardless of weekends and weekdays.

“This cannot be ignored. Silence of America, silence of others around the world only encourage Putin.”

In response, Trump posted on Truth Social, saying Putin had gone crazy and his desire to seize all of Ukraine would lead to Russia’s downfall.

“I’ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely CRAZY!” Trump said.

“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.

“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!”

In the post, Trump also took aim at Zelenskyy for his comments.

“Likewise, President Zelenskyy is doing his Country no favors by talking the way he does,” he said.

“Everything out of his 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.

“This is Zelenskyy’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.”

Shortly before his Truth Social post, Trump told reporters in New Jersey he was considering new U.S. sanctions on Russia and that he did not like Putin’s recent actions.

“I don't know what the hell happened to Putin,” he said. “I've known him a long time and always gotten along with him, but he's sending rockets into cities and killing people and I don't like it at all.

“We’re in the middle of talking and he’s shooting rockets into Kyiv and other cities.”

“I’m very surprised,” he added.

The barrage of strikes came as Russia and Ukraine exchanged prisoners.

On Sunday, Zelenskyy confirmed that 303 Ukrainian soldiers had returned home, marking the end of a 1,000-for-1,000 exchange deal agreed in Turkey.

Hours after confirming the captured soldiers had returned, Zelenskyy said several sanctions packages on Russia were being introduced.

The first targets Russian individuals involved in “financing Russian terrorist activities, financial manipulations, and sanctions evasion schemes that serve Russia’s interests.”

The second package targets “propagandists whose lies fuel Russia’s attacks on Ukraine,” and the third applies to members of Russian mafia groups.

“We are working on synchronizing Ukrainian sanctions with the sanction regimes of the European Union and other key global jurisdictions,” Zelenskyy said.

“New Ukrainian decisions on sanctions are already being prepared. Their focus is clear: individuals and legal entities from Russia and those associated with Russia, who work for the war, and who serve as a backbone for the Russian regime.”

The latest attack comes after Trump assured that peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine would begin immediately after his two-hour call with Putin last week.

The call on May 20 was meant to urge Russia towards a ceasefire, but Putin has refused to agree to a 30-day pause in fighting, while Ukraine says it is on board with the plan.

“The conditions for that will be negotiated between the two parties, as it can only be, because they know details of a negotiation that nobody else would be aware of,” Trump posted on Truth Social after the call.

“The tone and spirit of the conversation were excellent. If it wasn’t, I would say so now, rather than later. Russia wants to do large-scale TRADE with the United States when this catastrophic ‘bloodbath’ is over, and I agree.”

He later told Kennedy Center board members at a White House dinner that he had a conversation with “a nice gentleman named Vladimir Putin.”

Putin described his call with Trump as “frank, informative and constructive,” the BBC reported.

“We have agreed with the U.S. president that Russia will offer and is ready to work with Ukraine on a memorandum on a possible future peace agreement,” he said.