President Donald Trump strongly condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday for launching what officials are calling the largest aerial assault of the war on Ukraine, saying he was “not happy” and describing Putin as someone who has “gone absolutely CRAZY.”
Speaking to reporters at Morristown Municipal Airport in New Jersey, Trump said, “I’m not happy with what Putin is doing. He’s killing a lot of people, and I don’t know what the hell happened to Putin.” He added, “He’s shooting rockets into Kyiv and other cities... I don’t like it at all.”
Trump, who has previously touted his relationship with Putin, suggested something has changed. “I’ve known him a long time, always gotten along with him... and something happened to this guy,” he said. “I don’t like what Putin is doing. Not even a little bit.”
The remarks came after Russia launched an unprecedented attack involving nearly 300 drones and 69 missiles, targeting cities across Ukraine, including the capital Kyiv. Ukrainian officials reported at least 12 people killed and dozens injured.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for a global response, saying on Telegram, “The silence of America, the silence of others in the world only encourages Putin.”
Later Sunday, Trump expanded on his comments in a Truth Social post. “Putin has gone absolutely CRAZY!” he wrote. Trump also criticized Zelenskyy, stating, “President Zelenskyy is doing his country no favors by talking the way he does... and it better stop.”
Trump emphasized that the war wouldn’t have started if he were president. “This is Zelenskyy’s, Putin’s, and Biden’s War, not ‘Trump’s,’” he wrote. “I am only helping to put out the big and ugly fires that have been started through Gross Incompetence and Hatred.”
Trump’s remarks mark a shift in tone as the war escalates and questions mount over global leadership, military strategy, and U.S. involvement in the ongoing conflict.