ISLAMABAD (PEN) : The Kremlin on Monday dismissed former US president Donald Trump’s remarks calling Russian President Vladimir Putin “absolutely crazy,” attributing them to “emotional overload” following Moscow’s largest aerial attack on Ukraine since the onset of its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Trump, writing on his social media platform Truth Social, condemned the recent Russian barrage of 367 drones and missiles on Ukrainian cities that left at least 13 civilians dead. “Something has happened to him,” Trump said of Putin. “He has gone absolutely crazy — needlessly killing a lot of people.”
In response, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Trump’s remarks were not grounded in rational assessment. “This is more connected to an emotional overload of everyone involved,” he told Russian media.
The exchange came in the wake of a weekend that saw Ukraine battered by successive waves of drone and missile strikes. Ukrainian officials confirmed that between Saturday night and Sunday morning, 367 drones and missiles were launched by Russia, in what Kyiv described as the most intense aerial assault since the war began. An additional 355 drones were launched between Sunday night and Monday, killing at least 10 people, according to the Ukrainian air force, which termed it the largest drone-only attack so far.
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine criticised the strikes, saying they had no military purpose. “It is an obvious political choice… by Putin, a choice by Russia to continue the war and destroy lives,” he said.
The Kremlin claimed the strikes were in retaliation for Ukrainian attacks on Russian civilian infrastructure. Russia’s defence ministry stated that 20 Ukrainian drones were intercepted over various Russian regions during the same period.
German shift on arms policy
Meanwhile, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz signalled a significant policy shift, stating that Ukraine’s Western allies had lifted all range limitations on the weapons they supply. This development potentially opens the door for Germany to provide long-range Taurus cruise missiles to Kyiv, a step Berlin has long resisted.
“There are no longer any restrictions on range,” Merz said during a press briefing. “This means that Ukraine can now defend itself, for example, by attacking military positions in Russia.”
The German Chancellery has not confirmed whether this signals an imminent supply of the Taurus system, which has a range of 500km — significantly longer than other weapons supplied so far. Berlin has been under mounting pressure from Kyiv and NATO partners to approve the delivery.
Reuters reported that President Zelensky is expected to visit Berlin on Wednesday, though officials have not confirmed the trip.
Western Position on Offensive Use of Supplied Arms
The debate over the scope of Ukraine’s right to strike inside Russian territory using Western-supplied arms has been evolving. In November 2023, then-US President Joe Biden authorised Ukraine to use some US-supplied long-range systems to hit targets within Russia, though within certain constraints. The UK has also acknowledged that it is Ukraine’s decision how to deploy British-provided weaponry.
Moscow has warned that the supply of Taurus missiles would be “a dangerous move,” hinting at a potential escalation of the conflict.
