Is Putin deliberately defying Trump as Russian missiles pound Ukraine in biggest-ever hit?
Russia conducted one of its largest drone and missile attacks on Ukraine on May 25 and 26, after three nights of record strikes. On May 25, Russia launched 298 drones and 69 missiles across 13 Ukrainian regions, killing 14 and injuring 70 people. This was followed by 355 drones and nine missiles on May 26. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on May 26 that Russia launched over 900 drones against Ukraine in three days.advertisementThis large-scale attack prompted US President Donald Trump to lambast his Russian counterpart on his Truth Social account over the weekend, saying that Vladimir Putin had gone 'absolutely crazy'.On Tuesday, Trump wrote: 'What Vladimir Putin doesn't realise is that if it weren't for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened to Russia, and I mean REALLY BAD. He's playing with fire!'
While the Kremlin downplayed Trump's statement suggesting that he and others might be emotionally overloaded, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned Trump about making such statements: 'Regarding Trump's words about Putin 'playing with fire' and 'really bad things' happening to Russia. I only know of one REALLY BAD thing — WWIII. I hope Trump understands this!'Regarding Trump's words about Putin "playing with fire" and "really bad things" happening to Russia. I only know of one REALLY BAD thing — WWIII.I hope Trump understands this!— Dmitry Medvedev (@MedvedevRussiaE) May 27, 2025advertisementTrump's frustration is understandable, as brokering peace between Russia and Ukraine had been one of his big presidential campaign promises. Trump said repeatedly that he would end the war between Russia and Ukraine within '24 hours' of taking office. At a CNN town hall in May 2023, he stated, 'They're dying, Russians and Ukrainians. I want them to stop dying. And I'll have that done — I'll have that done in 24 hours.'After returning to the presidency in January 2025, Trump immediately pushed for renewed peace negotiations. He contacted both Zelenskyy and Putin, advocating for direct talks and proposing a 30-day general ceasefire as a starting point for broader negotiations. Despite these efforts, Trump's administration has not secured lasting peace. In fact, Russia's attacks on Ukraine have increased in intensity.According to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data, in the month prior to the recent intense attacks, between April 20 and May 16, there were 4,126 violent incidents in Ukraine, with 297 incidents targeting civilians, and resulting in at least 108 fatalities. During this period, Russia used over 80 long-range missiles and drones to attack Ukraine, and Russian forces made notable advances in the Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Sumy regions.advertisementPutin's refusal to cede any ground may stem from Trump's acidic demeanour towards Zelenskyy when the latter visited the White House in February. He also rebuffed engaging in direct peace talks and sent a delegation to Turkey, which Zelenskyy called "very low-level" after several days of confusion.The first direct talks between Russia and Ukraine in three years were held in Istanbul on May 16, 2025. While these negotiations resulted in a significant prisoner exchange of 1,000 individuals, they failed to achieve Ukraine's primary goal of a full and unconditional ceasefire. Ukraine's proposal for a 30-day unconditional ceasefire and a direct meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin was rejected by Russia, which instead demanded Ukrainian military withdrawals from contested areas as a precondition to any ceasefire deal.Tune InMust Watch
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