Trump calls Putin 'absolutely crazy' over escalating violence in Ukraine

Russia launched aerial assaults on Ukraine on a massive scale over the weekend, which killed at least 12 people.

It has drawn strong condemnation from European leaders, as well as from U.S. President Donald Trump, who has sharply criticized the Russian leader, calling him "absolutely crazy."

Our Kim Jung-sil has the latest.

Russia launched its largest aerial assault of the war, with at least 12 killed and 60 wounded across several Ukrainian regions after a series of airstrikes late Saturday night.

Among the victims were three children from the same family in the Zhytomyr region, west of Kyiv, according to Ukraine's Internal Affairs Minister.

"Let the world wake up and see. How long can they bomb children? We go to bed and do not know what awaits us in the morning."

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy reported that nearly 300 attack drones and almost 70 missiles were fired during the assault.

In a social media post on Sunday, he denounced the attacks, claiming they were "deliberate strikes on ordinary cities."

Zelenskyy reiterated his call for stronger sanctions to halt Russia's brutality.

Later in the day, U.S. President Donald Trump also weighed in on the escalating conflict.

"I don't know what the hell happened to Putin. I've known him a long time. Always gotten along with him. But he's sending rockets into cities and killing people."

Trump also responded to questions about the possibility of further sanctions on Russia.

"Absolutely. He's killing a lot of people. I don't know what's wrong with him. What the hell happened to him, right? He's killing a lot people. I'm not happy about that."

Later, in a social media post on Truth Social, Trump said Putin has gone "absolutely CRAZY!" and warned that if he takes all of Ukraine, it will result in the "downfall of Russia."

European leaders also condemned Russia's actions, warning of additional sanctions.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Putin's disregard for peace cannot be tolerated, while EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas called for the strongest international pressure to end the war.

The massive airstrike came as Ukraine and Russia completed a three-day, 1,000-prisoner swap, with 303 Ukrainian soldiers returned on Sunday as part of the exchange.

Kim Jung-sil, Arirang News.