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Trump lashes out at 'crazy' Putin, warns of Russia's 'downfall'
The comments were a rare rebuke to Putin, and came after a record number of Russian drones killed at least 13 people across Ukraine, despite a prisoner exchange and a US push for a truce.
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US President Donald Trump (L) and Russia's President Vladimir Putin smile as they attend a joint press conference after a meeting at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, on July 16, 2018. The US and Russian leaders opened an historic summit in Helsinki, with Donald Trump promising an (AFP/Yuri Kadobnov)
U
S President Donald Trump on Sunday called Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin "crazy" for his attacks on Ukrainian cities and warned that any attempt at a total takeover of Ukraine would "lead to the downfall of Russia."
The comments were a rare rebuke to Putin, and came after a record number of Russian drones killed at least 13 people across Ukraine, despite a prisoner exchange and a US push for a truce.
"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 in a post on Truth Social.
"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!" he added.
Trump also criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, a more frequent target of his ire, accusing him of "doing his Country no favors by talking the way he does."
"Everything out of his mouth causes problems, I don't like it, and it better stop," he said of Zelensky.
Earlier on Sunday, Trump told reporters that he was "not happy" with Putin over the latest Russian offensive.
"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," said Trump on the tarmac at Morristown airport before boarding Air Force One bound for Washington.
Trump's remarks come as European allies and even some in his own Republican Party call for increased pressure on Russia to agree to a ceasefire.
The US president has avoided issuing ultimatums to Russia, instead threatening to walk away from negotiations if both sides cannot agree to a ceasefire.
But in response to a question on the tarmac in Morristown, Trump said Sunday he was "absolutely" considering increasing US sanctions on Russia in response to the latest violence.
"He's killing a lot of people. I don't know what's wrong with him. What the hell happened to him, right? He's killing a lot of people. I'm not happy about that," said the US leader.
That statement was at odds with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's testimony at Congress earlier this week, when he said Trump believed that "right now, if you start threatening sanctions, the Russians will stop talking."
Trump and Putin held a two-hour phone call on Monday after which the US leader said Moscow and Kyiv would "immediately start negotiations towards a ceasefire."
Putin has made no commitment to pause his three-year invasion of Ukraine, announcing only a vague proposal to work on a "memorandum" outlining Moscow's demands for peace.
