‘Putin has gone absolutely CRAZY,’ says US President after Russia’s deadly drone strikes on Ukraine

US President Donald Trump launched a scathing attack on Russian President Vladimir Putin on May 25, calling him "absolutely CRAZY" after Russia unleashed a massive wave of drone strikes on Ukraine, killing at least 13 people, including children.

The harsh comments came even as Ukraine and Russia completed their largest prisoner exchange since the start of the war.

"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 wrote on his Truth Social platform. "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!"

The remarks signal a sharp shift in tone from Trump, who has often spoken favorably about Putin in the past.

Now, with Moscow escalating its airstrikes and talks with Kyiv stalled, Trump expressed growing frustration with the Kremlin.

He added, "I'm not happy" about the latest attacks and confirmed he was "absolutely" considering increasing sanctions on Moscow. "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."

Ukraine described the atmosphere as one of "terror" after Russia launched what it said was the largest number of drones in a single night — 298 in total, according to Ukraine's air force, of which 266 were shot down.

The onslaught left children among the dead in the Zhytomyr region and claimed more lives in the Kyiv, Khmelnytskyi, and Mykolaiv regions.

"Without truly strong pressure on the Russian leadership, this brutality cannot be stopped," said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

"The silence of America, the silence of others around the world only encourages Putin. Sanctions will certainly help,” he added.

Trump, however, turned his criticism toward Zelensky as well, accusing the Ukrainian leader of exacerbating tensions.

"Everything out of his mouth causes problems; I don't like it, and it better stop," he said.

Global leaders also condemned Russia's escalation. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas called for "the strongest international pressure on Russia to stop this war," while Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said, "Putin does not want peace; he wants to carry on the war, and we shouldn't allow him to do this."

In the midst of the bloodshed, a significant prisoner swap was completed. Both sides exchanged 303 soldiers and civilians each, bringing the total to around 1,000 prisoners freed under a deal brokered in Istanbul earlier this month.

Ukrainian President Zelensky confirmed the exchange, and an AFP reporter witnessed some of the released soldiers — frail but smiling — arriving at a hospital in Chernigiv.

One of them, 58-year-old Viktor Syvak, who was held for over three years after being captured in Mariupol, said, "It's impossible to describe. I can't put it into words."

Despite the devastating attacks and political tensions, the prisoner exchange offered a rare moment of relief in the ongoing war that began with Russia’s full-scale invasion in Feb 2022.