President Donald Trump late Sunday night unleashed a blistering attack on Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling him “crazy” and accusing him of “needlessly killing a lot of people” amid Russia’s intensifying assault on Ukraine.

The post, published on Trump’s Truth Social platform, marked a stark shift in tone from the former president, who has previously avoided directly blaming Putin for the war. Trump went so far as to warn that Putin’s actions would lead to the “downfall of Russia” — a dramatic departure from his usual posture of cautious criticism paired with repeated calls for peace.

Within hours, the Kremlin responded, downplaying the remarks and portraying Trump’s outburst as a product of high emotions.

“This is a very crucial moment… associated with emotional overload,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who added that Russia was “grateful” to Trump for helping launch the ongoing U.S.-brokered peace negotiations.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)