US President Donald Trump has mentioned he’s “not comfortable” together with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, following Moscow’s largest aerial assault but on Ukraine.
In a uncommon rebuke, Trump mentioned: “What the hell occurred to him? He is killing lots of people.” He later known as Putin “completely loopy”.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier mentioned Washington’s “silence” over current Russian assaults was encouraging Putin, urging “robust stress” – together with more durable sanctions – on Moscow.
No less than 12 individuals have been killed and dozens injured in Ukraine in a single day Sunday after Russia fired 367 drones and missiles – the very best quantity in a single evening since Putin launched a full-scale invasion in 2022.
Air sirens warning of incoming drones and missiles sounded once more in lots of areas of Ukraine early on Monday.
No less than three individuals, together with a baby, have been injured within the north-eastern metropolis of Kharkiv, Mayor Ihor Terekhov mentioned.
Chatting with reporters in New Jersey late on Sunday, Trump mentioned of Putin: “I’ve recognized him a very long time, at all times gotten together with him, however he is sending rockets into cities and killing individuals, and I do not prefer it in any respect.”
Requested about whether or not he was contemplating growing US sanctions on Russia, Trump replied: “Completely.” The US president has repeatedly threatened to do that earlier than – however is but to implement any restrictions in opposition to Moscow.
Shortly afterwards, Trump wrote in a put up on Fact Social that Putin “has gone completely loopy”.
“I’ve at all times mentioned that he needs all of Ukraine, not only a piece of it, and possibly that is proving to be proper, but when he does, it is going to result in the downfall of Russia!”
However the US president additionally had robust phrases for Zelensky, saying that he “is doing his nation no favours by speaking the way in which he does”.
“All the pieces out of his mouth causes issues, I do not prefer it, and it higher cease,” Trump wrote of Zelensky.
Regardless of Kyiv’s European allies getting ready additional sanctions for Russia, the US has mentioned it is going to both proceed making an attempt to dealer these peace talks, or “stroll away” if progress doesn’t observe.
Final week, Trump and Putin had a two-hour cellphone name to debate a US-proposed ceasefire deal to halt the preventing.
The US president mentioned he believed the decision had gone “very nicely”, including that Russia and Ukraine would “instantly begin” negotiations towards a ceasefire and “an finish to the conflict”.
Ukraine has publicly agreed to a 30-day ceasefire.
Putin has solely mentioned Russia will work with Ukraine to craft a “memorandum” on a “attainable future peace” – a transfer described by Kyiv and its European allies as delaying ways.
The primary direct Ukrainian-Russian talks since 2022 have been held on 16 Might in Istanbul, Turkey.
Except for a significant prisoner of conflict swap final week, there was little or no progress on bringing a pausing in preventing nearer.
Russia at the moment controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory. This consists of Crimea – Ukraine’s southern peninsula annexed by Moscow in 2014.
