Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday dismissed President Donald Trump’s angry criticism of Russian strongman Vladimir Putin by suggesting Trump was suffering from “emotional overstrain.”
“I’ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely CRAZY!” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday.
“He is needlessly killing a lot of people, and I’m not just talking about soldiers. Missiles and drones are being shot into Cities in Ukraine, for no reason whatsoever,” Trump said, alluding to Russia’s heavy drone and missile bombardment of Ukrainian cities over the weekend.
“I’ve always said that he wants ALL of Ukraine, not just a piece of it, and maybe that’s proving to be right, but if he does, it will lead to the downfall of Russia!” Trump warned.
The American president also expressed frustration with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, who he complained was “doing his Country no favors by talking the way he does.”
“Everything out of his mouth causes problems, I don’t like it, and it better stop,” Trump complained.
On Tuesday, Trump warned Putin he is “playing with fire” by launching massive attacks on Ukraine population centers in the middle of peace negotiations.
“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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Peskov on Monday said Russia remains committed to negotiating an end to the war it started in February 2022. He dismissed Trump’s scathing criticism of Putin as an “emotional reaction.”
“We are really grateful to the Americans and to President Trump personally for their assistance in organizing and launching this negotiation process,” Peskov said at a press conference on Monday.
“Of course, at the same time, this is a very crucial moment, which is associated, of course, with the emotional overstrain of everyone, absolutely, and with emotional reactions,” he said.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov took a similar tack on Tuesday at a press conference in Moscow following talks with Turkish Prime Minister Hakan Fidan.
Lavrov said Trump is a leader who “wants results,” so he has become frustrated by interference in his negotiation efforts by the European Union and Zelensky.
“He sees some of the Europeans are working to sabotage his efforts, pushing Ukraine to absolutely reckless actions, including drone attacks on Moscow, our other towns and even our president’s helicopter,” Lavrov said of Trump.
“Of course, he gets emotional, and, of course, as someone who does not like anything to stand in the way of his noble goals, he looks at it a certain way, shifts rhetoric,” Lavrov said.
The Russians claim President Putin’s helicopter was attacked by a swarm of Ukrainian drones last week while he was visiting Kursk, the Russian territory that was occupied by Ukrainian forces in a surprise counter-offensive in August 2024. Russian officials claim the last of the invading forces were driven from the area in April.
“The most important thing is not to focus on mere rhetoric, but rather to ensure that Europe stops sabotaging our peace plans, which are supported by both the US and Turkey, and to which Russia is fully committed,” Lavrov said.
The BBC suggested Peskov and Lavrov were being “pointedly polite” in their response to Trump’s anger at Putin, rather than sarcastic or patronizing, because Moscow wants to keep the peace talks going even as it launches fresh attacks on Ukraine, and it fears Trump might “finally make good on his threats to impose new sanctions.”
