US President Donald Trump responded to a deadly Russian missile and drone attack on Ukraine, which killed at least 12 civilians on 25 May, by publicly denouncing Russian President Vladimir Putin and considering sanctions. However, Trump also criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President Joe Biden, reiterating the war would ostensibly not have started under his leadership.
According to Sky News, Trump spoke to journalists late on 25 May and stated,
“I don’t know what the hell happened to Putin.”
Russia’s massive missile and drone assault kills at least 12 civilians, injures 52, between two prisoner swaps
He added that Putin is “killing a lot of people.”
“I’ve known him a long time. I always gotten along with him. But he’s sending rockets into cities and killing people, and I don’t like it.” Trump continued, “I don’t like what Putin is doing. Not even a little bit. He’s killing people. And something happened to this guy, and I don’t like it.”
When asked, he confirmed he is “absolutely” considering sanctions against Russia.
In the wake of the massive air assault, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy denounced Washington’s “silence.” Later, Trump’s envoy Keith Kellogg condemned the attack without mentioning Russia or the Russian leadership.
No sanctions, just peace talks: Trump tells EU leaders Putin won’t end war, scraps new sanctions
Trump calls Putin crazy
In a post published on Truth Social early on 26 May 2025, Trump escalated his tone, writing:
“I’ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely CRAZY! He is needlessly killing a lot of people, and I’m not just talking about soldiers. Missiles and drones are being shot into Cities in Ukraine, for no reason whatsoever.”
He continued:
“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!“
Despite the condemnation of Putin’s actions, Trump went on to criticize President Zelenskyy, stating:
“Likewise, President Zelenskyy is 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 also described the war as one he allegedly would have prevented:
“This is a War that would never have started if I were President. This is Zelenskyy’s, Putin’s, and Biden’s War, not ‘Trump’s.’ I am only helping to put out the big and ugly fires, that have been started through Gross Incompetence and Hatred.”
Trump’s misconception about Russia is dangerous, Ukrainian scholar says
In response to Trump’s remarks, Ukrainian scholar Valerii Pekar, author of over 250 articles on management, marketing, information technology, and futurology, commented critically on the US President’s view.
Pekar stated that Trump seems to believe “Putin was always a good guy” who suddenly changed. He argued that this perception reflects a broader Western misconception that Russia deviated from democratic norms under Putin.
Pekar dismissed this idea, noting that Russia “never was a democracy,” citing a brief transitional period after the Soviet collapse lasting only until 1993. He described Russia’s political history as “predatory authoritarianism,” saying Putin fits into a historic pattern of rulers like Ivan the Terrible, Peter I, and Stalin. Pekar also challenged the belief that Russian culture anchors it to Western civilization, calling it “a thin layer of gilding over an ocean of barbarism.”
He concluded that seeing Putin’s regime as a temporary deviation risks major geopolitical miscalculations, as this framing suggests it can simply be waited out, rather than confronted.