Putin 'needlessly killing a lot of people,' Trump says, as Russia continues drone onslaught in Ukraine

Thomson Reuters

· Posted: May 26, 2025 5:19 AM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

The Ukrainian aerial unit said Russia had launched 355 drones and 9 cruise missiles against Ukraine overnight, a immense salvo that the aerial force's spokesperson told Reuters made it Russia's largest drone onslaught of the warfare to date.

The Ukrainian aerial unit said the 3rd consecutive nighttime of Russian aerial attacks deed targets successful 5 locations, but did not elaborate. A 14-year-old lad was reported injured successful the Black Sea portion of Odesa. Residential buildings and concern facilities were damaged successful occidental Ukraine, officials said.

In airy of the sustained attacks, U.S. President Donald Trump said Vladimir Putin had "gone perfectly CRAZY" successful comments connected Truth Social.

"He is needlessly sidesplitting a batch of people, and I'm not conscionable talking astir soldiers," said Trump. "Missiles and drones are being changeable into cities successful Ukraine, for nary crushed whatsoever.

"I've ever said that helium wants ALL of Ukraine, not conscionable a portion of it, and possibly that's proving to beryllium right, but if helium does, it volition pb to the downfall of Russia!" added Trump.

The Kremlin connected Monday reacted to Trump's comments connected Putin by urging calm.

WATCH | Trump criticizes Russia, Ukraine presidents: 

"We are truly grateful to the Americans and to President Trump personally for their assistance successful organizing and launching this dialog process," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said. "Of course, astatine the aforesaid time, this is simply a precise important moment, which is associated, of course, with the affectional overload of everyone perfectly and with affectional reactions."

French President Emmanuel Macron said helium hoped that Trump's ire toward Putin would present effect successful caller sanctions that could dissuade the Russian person from acting further.

Residential gathering successful Odesa destroyed

Trump besides criticized Volodomyr Zelenskyy, posting that the Ukrainian person "is doing his state nary favours by talking the mode helium does. Everything retired of his rima causes problems, I don't similar it, and it amended stop."

Ukraine, the United States and different Western countries person called for a 30-day halt to warring without preconditions to let for bid talks.

Work connected Russia's connection for a imaginable bid woody for the Ukraine warfare is ongoing and a draught has not yet been submitted, the Kremlin said connected Monday.

Delegations from Russia and Ukraine that did not see Putin and Zelenskyy met past week successful Turkey, but the lone known factual measurement toward bid emerged connected the weekend, erstwhile hundreds of prisoners of warfare were released from captivity by some countries.

WATCH | Russia, Ukraine proceed speech of prisoners connected Sunday:

Russia says it targeted subject installations

In presumption of Monday's damage, the Russian Defence Ministry said its onslaught deed targets astatine Ukraine's Starokostiantyniv airbase successful Khmelnytskyi region. The Kremlin said the attacks were directed astatine subject targets and that the strikes were a effect to important Ukrainian attacks connected Russian civilian targets.

Russian drone strikes caused fires and demolition successful backstage households successful the confederate Odesa region, Ukraine's Emergency Service said.

At the sites deed successful Odesa district, a residential gathering covering an country of 100 quadrate metres was destroyed, the exigency services said, adding that the occurrence had been extinguished.

Regional politician Oleh Kiper said a 14-year-old lad was injured successful the attack.

In the occidental portion of Khmelnytskyi, galore hundreds of kilometres away from the beforehand line, the politician said that a combined Russian onslaught damaged backstage households and enterprises, but determination were nary civilian casualties, according to preliminary information.

In northeastern Ukraine, the determination politician said that Kharkiv and its outskirts were nether Russian onslaught and explosions could beryllium heard successful immoderate of districts.

The politician of the cardinal Cherkasy portion said that 25 Russian drones had been neutralized wrong the portion overnight but added that determination were nary injured oregon reports of harm truthful far.

The aerial raid alert lasted six hours successful Kyiv, Tymur Tkachenko, caput of the city's subject administration, said.

Tkachenko reported harm successful 1 metropolis territory but said that determination were nary casualties.

On the ground, Russian forces person captured the settlements of Volodymyrivka and Bilovody successful eastbound Ukraine, the TASS authorities quality bureau reported connected Monday, citing Russia's Defence Ministry.

Reuters could not instantly verify the battlefield report.

Russia controls astir one-fifth of Ukraine territory.