Donald Trump has often bragged about his “great relationship” with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
But after this weekend’s brutal airstrikes on Ukrainian cities, the former U.S. president is fuming.
”I don’t know what the hell happened to Putin,” Trump told reporters.
367 drones and missiles
The past few days have seen some of the most intense and devastating attacks on Ukrainian cities in a long time – and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky didn’t stay quiet. In a fiery statement, he slammed the U.S. for its “silence” in the face of Russia’s aggression, warning that the lack of response is only emboldening Vladimir Putin.
Over the weekend, Russia launched a staggering 367 drones and missiles in a single night — the highest number since the full-scale invasion began in 2022.
The results were catastrophic. At least 12 people, including three children, were killed. Explosions shook cities nationwide, injuring dozens more, and The Mirror reports this was the deadliest night of attacks since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.
But Donald Trump didn’t seem too concerned about Zelensky’s warnings or Russia’s massive assaults on Ukraine. While the world reacted to the violence, Trump stayed silent on the attacks — choosing instead to lash out at Bruce Springsteen on Truth Social and post a strange photo of a swan biting one of his friends in a rather awkward spot during a round of golf.
Finally broke his silence
But late Sunday night, that silence finally broke. And it was clear to everyone that Trump is starting to lose patience with Putin.
At Morristown Airport in New Jersey, with the roar of his private jet behind him, Trump fielded questions from reporters — and was pressed to address the escalating violence in Ukraine.
“I’m not happy with what Putin’s doing. He’s killing a lot of people. And I don’t know what the hell happened to Putin,” Trump said.
“I’ve known him a long time, always gotten along with him, but he’s sending rockets into cities and killing people, and I don’t like it at all.”
HOLY SH*T
President Trump just went off on Putin.
— Ian Jaeger (@IanJaeger29) May 25, 2025
When asked whether he’s thinking about tougher sanctions on Russia, Trump didn’t hesitate: “Absolutely,” he said.
Trump also took aim at Zelenskyy — a frequent target of his frustration — in a social media post, accusing the Ukrainian leader of “doing his Country no favours by talking the way he does.”
On his own platform, Truth Social, the former president then went further with his criticism and warned that Putin’s latest actions could have serious consequences, saying outright it could “lead to the downfall of Russia!”
900 000 killed
Donald Trump’s efforts to mediate between Russia and Ukraine have taken many twists and turns. Last Monday, he spoke with Putin by phone and claimed that peace talks between the two countries were about to begin.
But soon after, Trump suggested he might “pull out” of the negotiations altogether. Then, on Thursday last week, sources told The Wall Street Journal that Trump — who promised during last year’s campaign to quickly end the war — now doubts whether Putin even wants peace.
Meanwhile, the UK’s Ministry of Defence estimates that between 200,000 and 250,000 Russian soldiers have been killed since the full-scale invasion began. Overall, the ministry puts the total number of killed and wounded on both sides at around 900,000.
