President Trump speaks to reporters earlier than boarding Air Drive One at Morristown Municipal Airport in Morristown, N.J., on Sunday.
Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
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Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
President Trump has sharply criticized President Vladimir Putin for unleashing a storm of drone and missile assaults on Ukrainian cities Sunday night, saying he was “not happy” with the Russian chief defying efforts to safe a ceasefire to finish the three-year struggle.
Trump informed reporters Sunday that Putin is killing lots of people. “I don’t know what the hell happened to Putin,” Trump mentioned. “I’ve known him a long time, always gotten along with him but he’s sending rockets into cities and killing people, and I don’t like it at all.”
When requested if he would think about extra sanctions on Russia, Trump mentioned “absolutely.”
Trump went additional in a social media submit late Sunday, saying Putin “has gone absolutely CRAZY!” and was needlessly killing lots of people.
The Ukrainian Air Drive mentioned the Russian assault was the biggest aerial assault of the struggle, with Russia unleashing 355 drones and 9 cruise missiles on dozens of Ukrainian cities, together with the capital, Kyiv. At the least 12 folks have been killed and dozens injured within the assaults.
The Kremlin performed down Trump’s remarks. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov advised Trump’s feedback might be blamed on “emotional overload,” and thanked Trump for his efforts to finish the struggle.
“We are really grateful to the Americans and to President Trump personally for their assistance in organizing and launching this negotiation process,” Peskov informed reporters when requested about Trump’s remarks. “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.”
Sunday’s assault adopted heavy Russian bombardment on a number of Ukrainian cities a day earlier. Extra missiles rained down on Ukraine in a single day into Monday.
The assaults got here as Russia and Ukraine carried out a prisoner trade, however it was solely a flicker of fine information within the struggle. There was little signal of progress in securing a ceasefire, even after a greater than two-hour cellphone name between Trump and Putin final week.
Ukraine has agreed to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire, proposed by the U.S., however Putin rejected it.
Writing on social media Sunday, Trump advised Putin has bigger aspirations. “I’ve always said that he wants ALL of Ukraine, not just a piece of it,” Trump wrote. “But if he does, it will lead to the downfall of Russia!”
Trump additionally had sturdy phrases for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with whom he is had a prickly relationship. “Everything out of his mouth causes problems. I don’t like it, and it better stop,” he mentioned on social media.