U.S. President Donald Trump said Vladimir Putin had "gone absolutely CRAZY" by unleashing the largest aerial attack of the war on Ukraine and said he was weighing new sanctions on Moscow, though he also scolded Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Trump posted the remark on Truth Social as sleeping Ukrainians woke to a third consecutive night of Russian aerial attacks, listening for hours to drones buzzing near their homes and eruptions of Ukrainian anti-aircraft fire.
The Ukrainian air force said Russia had launched 355 drones and nine cruise missiles against Ukraine overnight, a huge salvo that the air force's spokesman told Reuters made it Russia's largest drone attack of the war to date.
At least 12 people were killed overnight Sunday, including three children in the northern region of Zhytomyr, Ukrainian officials said.
The Russian attack was the largest of the war in terms of weapons fired, although other strikes have killed more people.
"Something has happened to him (Putin). He has gone absolutely CRAZY!" Trump said of the Russian president on Truth Social, referring to the previous night's attack by Russia.
"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!"
Trump also criticised Zelensky, posting that the Ukrainian leader "is doing his Country no favours by talking the way he does. Everything out of his mouth causes problems, I don't like it, and it better stop."
The Ukrainian air force said the third Russian aerial attack in a row hit targets in five locations, but did not elaborate, implying military damage.
A 14-year-old boy was reported injured in the Black Sea region of Odesa. Residential buildings and industrial facilities were damaged in western Ukraine, officials said.
'I'm not happy'
Speaking to reporters at the airport in Morristown, New Jersey, Trump said of Putin: "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."
He raised the possibility of imposing more sanctions on Russia in response to the ongoing attacks.
The Kremlin said Trump's remarks might be due to emotional overload, but thanked the U.S. leader for his assistance in launching Ukraine peace negotiations.
"We are really grateful to the Americans and to President Trump personally for their assistance in organising and launching this negotiation process," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said when asked about the Trump remarks about Putin.
"Of course, at the same time, this is a very crucial moment, which is associated, of course, with the emotional overload of everyone absolutely and with emotional reactions."
Peskov said Putin was defending Russia.
"President Putin is taking the decisions that are necessary to ensure the security of our country," he said, adding that Russia's strikes were a response to Ukrainian ones.
Trump has been pressuring Russia and Ukraine to end the more than three-year war, but the two sides remain far apart - and while major powers talk, the war is intensifying and Russian forces are advancing in eastern Ukraine.
Swarms of drones are being launched by both sides while fierce fighting is underway along key parts of the front.
The Kremlin says it is conducting what it calls a "special military operation" in Ukraine to protect Russia from NATO encroachment on its borders. Ukraine says Russia launched an unprovoked war of aggression.