NATO scrambled fighter jets for the second consecutive night as Russia launched another wave of airstrikes on Ukraine, ignoring fresh criticism from former US President Donald Trump, who labelled Vladimir Putin “absolutely crazy”.
In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Mr Trump condemned the Russian president following a barrage of 367 drone and missile strikes over the weekend – the largest single aerial assault since the war began.
“He’s gone CRAZY!” Mr Trump wrote. “He’s sending rockets into cities and killing people, and I don’t like it at all.”
The attacks, which targeted cities including Kyiv, left at least 12 civilians dead, including children, and marked a major escalation in Russia’s war effort. Despite international condemnation, President Putin continued the strikes into Sunday night.
Responding to Mr Trump’s remarks, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said: “This is a very important moment which is connected to an emotional overload of everyone involved and emotional reactions.”
(Picture: Ukrainian State Emergency Service Press Service/UPI/Shutterstock)
Polish and allied NATO aircraft were deployed in response to the Russian bombardment. “Due to the attack by the Russian Federation… Polish and allied aviation have begun operating in our airspace,” said a statement from Poland’s armed forces command.
Mr Trump, who claims to have spoken to President Putin for two hours last week, warned of harsher sanctions if the Russian leader continues to defy peace calls. “If he does [take all of Ukraine], it will lead to the downfall of Russia,” he added.
The former president also criticised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying his rhetoric was “doing his country no favours” and “causing problems.”
The intensification of strikes comes as Russia and Ukraine began implementing a large prisoner exchange deal – a “1,000-for-1,000” swap agreed in Istanbul last week.
According to the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Russia’s campaign is designed to break Ukrainian morale and erode Western support.
“Putin is leveraging long-range strikes, aggressive rhetoric, and Western pessimism to convince the world that backing Ukraine is futile,” the ISW said. However, they noted that battlefield dynamics have changed significantly since 2022, with Russia now heavily reliant on undertrained infantry and facing severe losses.
Despite mounting attacks, analysts suggest that Russia’s ability to make meaningful territorial gains has diminished as its military continues to be stretched thin.
