Zelensky gave Putin ‘reason to bomb the hell out of’ Ukraine – Trump
The recent Ukrainian drone attacks on long-range nuclear-capable Russian bombers have sharply increased the risk of escalation and given Moscow a valid reason to retaliate with force, US President Donald Trump told reporters on Friday.
In addition to launching a coordinated drone strike on multiple airbases, Ukraine also blew up railway bridges in Russia last week, derailing both civilian and freight trains, killing at least seven people, and injuring over 120 others, including children. President Vladimir Putin discussed the attacks in a phone call with his US counterpart on Wednesday, warning that Moscow’s inevitable response is justified.
Trump told journalists on Friday that he “didn’t like” the escalation when asked whether Kiev’s attack on a key component of Russia’s nuclear triad changed his view of “what’s at stake” and what “cards” Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky holds.
“Well, they gave Putin a reason to go in and bomb the hell out of them last night,” Trump stated. “That’s something I didn’t like about it. When I saw it, I said: ‘Here we go… now it’s going to be a strike.’”
In response to the recent “terrorist acts” by Kiev, the Russian military carried out large-scale strikes against Ukrainian defense industry sites early Friday morning, using air-, sea-, and land-based missiles as well as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), according to the Defense Ministry.
The targets of the overnight strikes included “design bureaus, enterprises involved in the production and repair of Ukraine’s weapons and military equipment, workshops for the assembly of attack drones, flight training centers, as well as warehouses of weapons and military equipment,” the statement said.
Putin described the deadly railway sabotage incidents as “undoubtedly a terrorist act” committed by the “illegitimate regime in Kiev,” which, he said, is “gradually turning into a terrorist organization.”
Moscow has accused Kiev of escalating its attacks in an effort to undermine US-backed peace talks. Russia has also claimed that Trump is receiving “filtered” information about the conflict from individuals pushing Washington to support Ukraine.
