US President Donald Trump on Tuesday warned his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that he was "playing with fire" for stalling efforts to finalise a peace agreement with Ukraine.
In a post shared on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump stated, "What Vladimir Putin doesn't realize 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."
Trump's latest statement comes after he launched a scathing attack on Putin, alleging that he has "gone absolutely crazy" and is needlessly killing people in Ukraine, including civilians.
In a strongly worded statement shared on social media, Trump said, "I've always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely CRAZY!"
Criticising the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Trump said Putin is "needlessly killing a lot of people," and emphasised that it's not limited to soldiers.
"Missiles and drones are being shot into Cities in Ukraine, for no reason whatsoever," he said.
The US President had reiterated his long-held view that Putin wants "ALL of Ukraine, not just a piece of it," and warned that such ambitions could lead to "the downfall of Russia."
Trump also directed criticism at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying he is doing his country "no favours by talking the way he does." According to Trump, "Everything out of his (Zelensky) mouth causes problems, I don't like it, and it better stop."
Calling the war avoidable, Trump stated, "This is a War that would never have started if I were President." He framed the ongoing conflict as one driven by "Zelenskyy's, Putin's, and Biden's War, not 'Trump's'," distancing himself from responsibility for the crisis.
Earlier, on May 24, Zelenskyy reported a Russian drone and missile attack in Kyiv targeting civilians and causing widespread damage and casualties.
Sharing a post on X, Zelenskyy said, "Fragments of Russian missiles and drones are being cleared in Kyiv. Rescue and emergency operations are ongoing at the sites of strikes and debris impacts -- wherever they are needed. There were many fires and explosions in the city overnight. Once again, residential buildings, cars, businesses have been damaged. Sadly, there are injuries."
"It was a difficult night for all of Ukraine -- 250 strike drones, the absolute majority of them Iranian "Shaheds," and 14 ballistic missiles. The Odesa, Vinnytsia, Sumy, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Kyiv, Dnipro regions suffered damages. All strikes targeted civilians. There are fatalities. My condolences to the families and loved ones."Zelenskyy further emphasised that Ukraine has repeatedly proposed ceasefires and called for sanctions steps from the United States, Europe, and its allies," he added.
Zelenskyy emphasised that Ukraine has repeatedly proposed ceasefires and called for sanctions steps from the United States, Europe, and its allies.
(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)
