Is Putin deliberately defying Trump as Russian missiles pound Ukraine in biggest-ever hit?

Russia conducted one of its largest drone and missile attacks on Ukraine on May 25 and 26, after three nights of record strikes. On May 25, Russia launched 298 drones and 69 missiles across 13 Ukrainian regions, killing 14 and injuring 70 people. This was followed by 355 drones and nine missiles on May 26. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on May 26 that Russia launched over 900 drones against Ukraine in three days.advertisementThis large-scale attack prompted US President Donald Trump to lambast his Russian counterpart on his Truth Social account over the weekend, saying that Vladimir Putin had gone 'absolutely crazy'.On Tuesday, Trump wrote: 'What Vladimir Putin doesn't realise 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!'
While the Kremlin downplayed Trump's statement suggesting that he and others might be emotionally overloaded, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned Trump about making such statements: 'Regarding Trump's words about Putin 'playing with fire' and 'really bad things' happening to Russia. I only know of one REALLY BAD thing — WWIII. I hope Trump understands this!'Regarding Trump's words about Putin "playing with fire" and "really bad things" happening to Russia. I only know of one REALLY BAD thing — WWIII.I hope Trump understands this!— Dmitry Medvedev (@MedvedevRussiaE) May 27, 2025advertisementTrump's frustration is understandable, as brokering peace between Russia and Ukraine had been one of his big presidential campaign promises. Trump said repeatedly that he would end the war between Russia and Ukraine within '24 hours' of taking office. At a CNN town hall in May 2023, he stated, 'They're dying, Russians and Ukrainians. I want them to stop dying. And I'll have that done — I'll have that done in 24 hours.'After returning to the presidency in January 2025, Trump immediately pushed for renewed peace negotiations. He contacted both Zelenskyy and Putin, advocating for direct talks and proposing a 30-day general ceasefire as a starting point for broader negotiations. Despite these efforts, Trump's administration has not secured lasting peace. In fact, Russia's attacks on Ukraine have increased in intensity.According to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data, in the month prior to the recent intense attacks, between April 20 and May 16, there were 4,126 violent incidents in Ukraine, with 297 incidents targeting civilians, and resulting in at least 108 fatalities. During this period, Russia used over 80 long-range missiles and drones to attack Ukraine, and Russian forces made notable advances in the Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Sumy regions.advertisementPutin's refusal to cede any ground may stem from Trump's acidic demeanour towards Zelenskyy when the latter visited the White House in February. He also rebuffed engaging in direct peace talks and sent a delegation to Turkey, which Zelenskyy called "very low-level" after several days of confusion.The first direct talks between Russia and Ukraine in three years were held in Istanbul on May 16, 2025. While these negotiations resulted in a significant prisoner exchange of 1,000 individuals, they failed to achieve Ukraine's primary goal of a full and unconditional ceasefire. Ukraine's proposal for a 30-day unconditional ceasefire and a direct meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin was rejected by Russia, which instead demanded Ukrainian military withdrawals from contested areas as a precondition to any ceasefire deal.Tune InMust Watch

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Indian Express

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‘Israel almost a Russian-speaking country': Putin on Iran-Israel conflict amid US strikes on Tehran

Amid Israel-Iran conflict, Russian President Vladimir Putin has highlighted Israel's large Russian speaking population as one of the key factors in Moscow's approach as the United States struck Iran's three nuclear sites on Saturday night and joined Israel's offensive against Iran. Putin, while speaking at the plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), called out those who questioned Russia's commitment to its allies and termed them as 'provocateurs'. Putin further stressed that Russia's relations with the Arab and the Islamic world have traditionally been friendly. Putin was asked why he is not assisting Iran. His response: 'Israel today is almost a Russian-speaking country, two million people from the Soviet Union and Russia live there. We take that into account.' 👇 — Dr. Eli David (@DrEliDavid) June 21, 2025 Assessing the situation in the Middle East, Putin said 'I would like to draw your attention to the fact that almost two million people from the former Soviet Union and the Russian Federation reside in Israel. It is almost a Russian-speaking country today. And, undoubtedly, we always take this into account in Russia's contemporary history,' as reported by TASS news agency. While noting that every conflict is unique, Putin said that Russia has a nuanced relationship with its allies across the Middle East region. Putin stated that Russia's 15% population is Islamic and that Moscow is also an observer in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. Putin had earlier offered to broker a ceasefire deal between Israel and Iran to resolve the impending conflict but US President Donald Trump had snubbed him by saying that 'I said, 'Do me a favour, mediate your own. Let's mediate Russia first.' I said, 'Vladimir, let's mediate Russia first. You can worry about this later.' Iran has warned to retaliate against the US strikes and has reportedly said that it would target US air bases in the region.

India Gazette

23 minutes ago

• India Gazette

"Hope it will lead to a better future for Middle East": Israeli President thanks US after "precision" strikes in Iran

Tel Aviv [Israel], June 22 (ANI): Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Sunday, thanked US President Donald Trump for the 'brave step' taken by the United States of America in conducting strikes on three nuclear sites of Iran. Herzog said that the strikes show how the principles of 'liberty, responsibility and security' have triumphed, with the American action resulting as a brave step towards the security and safety of the world. He expressed hope that the action would help fasten the release of Israeli hostages and lead to a better future in West Asia. Herzog wrote on X, 'In the pages of human history, this is a moment when the principles of liberty, responsibility, and security have triumphed. A decisive moment between the axis of terror and evil and the axis of hope. Thank you, @POTUS @realDonaldTrump. Thank you, United States of America. This brave step serves the security and safety of the entire free world. I hope it will lead to a better future for the Middle East -- and help advance the urgent release of our hostages held in captivity in Gaza.' \ His remarks follow after Trump announced that United States conducted 'massive precision strikes' on the three key nuclear facilities in Iran- Fordow, Natanz and Esfahan. Trump also threatened of retaliation if peace is not achieved soon in Iran. The Embassy of Iran in India acknowledged that the sites had been hit and called it 'savage aggression--an act in violation of international laws', stressing particularly on the NPT. It further accused the the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of indifference and complicity and said that it expects the international community to condemn these actions. As per a report in the CNN citing a US official, the US used six B-2 bombers to drop a dozen 'bunker buster' bombs on the Fordow nuclear site. Navy submarines fired 30 TLAM cruise missiles at two other sites, Natanz and Isfahan, and a B2 dropped two bunker busters on Natanz. The underground site at Fordow and the larger Natanz plant were Iran's two primary uranium enrichment facilities, out of which Natanz had already been hit by Israel with smaller weapons earlier in the week, the New York Times reported. The conflict between Israel and Iran entered its ninth day on Saturday, with the US now joining in support of Israel. The conflict started after Israel, on June 13, launched a massive airstrike on Iranian military and nuclear sites, dubbed 'Operation Rising Lion.' In response, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched a large-scale drone and missile operation, 'Operation True Promise 3', targeting Israeli fighter jet fuel production facilities and energy supply centres. (ANI)

Time of India

25 minutes ago

• Time of India

Strikes on Iran mark Trump's biggest, and riskiest, foreign policy gamble

With his unprecedented decision to bomb Iran 's nuclear sites, directly joining Israel's air attack on its regional arch-foe, U.S. President Donald Trump has done something he had long vowed to avoid - intervene militarily in a major foreign war. The dramatic U.S. strike, including the targeting of Iran's most heavily fortified nuclear installation deep underground, marks the biggest foreign policy gamble of Trump's two presidencies and one fraught with risks and unknowns. Trump, who insisted on Saturday that Iran must now make peace or face further attacks, could provoke Tehran into retaliating by closing the Strait of Hormuz, the world's most important oil artery, attacking U.S. military bases and allies in the Middle East, stepping up its missile barrage on Israel and activating proxy groups against American and Israeli interests worldwide, analysts said. ALSO READ: US forces bomb Iranian nuclear sites; 'Fordow is gone' says Trump Such moves could escalate into a broader, more protracted conflict than Trump had envisioned, evoking echoes of the "forever wars" that America fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, which he had derided as "stupid" and promised never to be dragged into. Live Events "The Iranians are seriously weakened and degraded in their military capabilities," said Aaron David Miller, a former Middle East negotiator for Democratic and Republican administrations. "But they have all sorts of asymmetric ways that they can respond... This is not going to end quick." ALSO READ: New York and other major US cities on high alert after America bombs Iranian nuclear sites In the lead-up to the bombing that he announced late on Saturday, Trump had vacillated between threats of military action and appeals for renewed negotiation to persuade Iran to reach a deal to dismantle its nuclear program. A senior White House official said that once Trump was convinced that Tehran had no interest in reaching a nuclear agreement, he decided the strikes were "the right thing to do." ALSO READ: Why the US used B-2 stealth bombers, costing $2.1 billion each to strike Iran's nuclear sites Trump gave the go-ahead once he was assured of a "high probability of success," the official said - a determination reached after more than a week of Israeli air attacks on Iran's nuclear and military facilities paved the way for the U.S. to deliver the potentially crowning blow. Nuclear threat remains Trump touted the "great success" of the strikes, which he said included the use of massive "bunker-buster bombs" on the main site at Fordow. But some experts suggested that while Iran's nuclear program may have been set back for many years, the threat may be far from over. Iran denies seeking a nuclear weapon, saying its program is for purely peaceful purposes. "In the long term, military action is likely to push Iran to determine nuclear weapons are necessary for deterrence and that Washington is not interested in diplomacy," the Arms Control Association, a non-partisan U.S.-based organization that advocates for arms control legislation, said in a statement. "Military strikes alone cannot destroy Iran's extensive nuclear knowledge. The strikes will set Iran's program back, but at the cost of strengthening Tehran's resolve to reconstitute its sensitive nuclear activities," the group said. Eric Lob, assistant professor in the Department of Politics and International Relations at Florida International University, said Iran's next move remains an open question and suggested that among its forms of retaliation could be to hit "soft targets" of the U.S. and Israel inside and outside the region. But he also said there was a possibility that Iran could return to the negotiating table - "though they would be doing so in an even weaker position" - or seek a diplomatic off-ramp. In the immediate aftermath of the U.S. strikes, however, Iran showed little appetite for concessions. Iran's Atomic Energy Organization said it would not allow development of its "national industry" to be stopped, and an Iranian state television commentator said every U.S. citizen or military member in the region would not be legitimate targets. Karim Sadjadpour, an analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, posted on X: "Trump indicated this is now the time for peace. It's unclear and unlikely the Iranians will see it the same way. This is more likely to open a new chapter of the 46-year-old US-Iran war than conclude it." 'Regime change' Some analysts suggested that Trump, whose administration has previously disavowed any aim of dislodging the Iranian leadership, could be drawn into seeking "regime change" if Tehran carries out major reprisals or moves to build a nuclear weapon. That, in turn, would bring additional risks. "Beware mission creep, aiming for regime change and democratization campaigns," said Laura Blumenfeld, a Middle East analyst at the Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies in Washington. "You'll find the bones of many failed U.S. moral missions buried in Middle East sands." Jonathan Panikoff, a former U.S. deputy intelligence officer for the Middle East, said Iran's leadership would quickly engage in "disproportionate attacks" if it felt its survival was imperiled. But Tehran will also have to be mindful of the consequences, he said. While actions such as closing the Strait of Hormuz would pose problems for Trump with the resulting higher oil prices and potential U.S. inflationary impact, it would also hurt China, one of Iran's few powerful allies. At the same time, Trump is already facing strong push-back from congressional Democrats against the Iran attack and will also have to contend with opposition from the anti-interventionist wing of his Republican MAGA base. Trump, who faced no major international crisis in his first term, is now embroiled in one just six months into his second. Even if he hopes U.S. military involvement can be limited in time and scope, the history of such conflicts often carries unintended consequences for American presidents. Trump's slogan of "peace through strength" will certainly be tested as never before, especially with his opening of a new military front after failing to meet his campaign promises to quickly end wars in Ukraine and Gaza. "Trump is back in the war business," said Richard Gowan, U.N. director at the International Crisis Group. "I am not sure anyone in Moscow, Tehran or Beijing ever believed his spiel that he is a peacemaker. It always looked more like a campaign phrase than a strategy."