'Playing with fire': Trump trades barbs with Kremlin after Russia fires missiles through negotiation prospects

President Donald Trump indicated last week that Russia and Ukraine would "immediately" begin negotiation talks. Trump appeared optimistic, noting that his two-hour call on May 19 with Vladimir Putin went "very well," even though the Russian president would not immediately agree to an unconditional ceasefire with Ukraine.

While the road to peace still appeared rocky and uncertain, Trump indicated days later that there were signs of promise as Russia and Ukraine had started their largest prisoner-of-war swap. Trump wrote, "This could lead to something big?"

Trump's optimism turned out to be premature.

Russia has pelted Ukrainian cities in recent days with drones and missiles, while Russian forces continue to advance in the east of the beleaguered country.

"The U.S. condemns Russia's attacks and all resulting civilian casualties in Ukraine. As the President has said many times, the killing must end. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families," a State Department spokesman told Blaze News. "We call for restraint and urge all parties to avoid further escalation that risks civilian harm."

Devolution

On the evening of May 24, Russia fired 14 ballistic missiles into Ukraine, six of which were apparently shot down, according to the Ukrainian Air Force. Russia also dispatched 355 drones, 128 of which were also reportedly shot down.

'This cannot be ignored.'

At least 12 people were killed in what has been recognized as Moscow's largest aerial attack in the war so far.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on X, "Russia is dragging out this war and continues to kill every day. The world may go on a weekend break, but the war continues, regardless of weekends and weekdays. This cannot be ignored. Silence of America, silence of others around the world only encourage Putin."

Russia, which accused Kyiv of attempting to assassinate Putin earlier this month with two drones, has characterized the drone and missile offensive as retaliatory.

Sergey Lavrov, the Russian minister of foreign affairs, claimed prior to Russia's May 24 attacks that the "Ukrainian side launched a record number of combat drones" and suggested the alleged attacks were "a clear attempt to derail peace talks and disrupt the process that began in Istanbul."

'I don't like it, and it better stop.'

Ukrainian officials recently boasted that their large-scale drone attacks on Russian targets have in recent days damaged Russian military facilities, reported the Wall Street Journal.

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Photo by Office of the President of Ukraine via Getty Images

In a message on May 23, the Russian foreign ministry noted that "Russia will deliver a matching response to barrages of terrorist attacks carried out by the Kiev regime."

On the evening of May 25, Russia "carried out a combined strike on Ukraine" involving nine ballistic missiles, 55 winged missiles, one Soviet Kh-22 missile, four controlled aviation missiles, and hundreds of suicide drones, according to the Ukrainian Air Force.

Trump responds, attacks continue

Trump noted on the night of the second consecutive aerial bombardment, "I've always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely CRAZY!"

"He is needlessly killing a lot of people, and I'm not just talking about soldiers," continued Trump. "Missiles and drones are being shot into Cities in Ukraine, for no reason whatsoever. 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 assigned some blame to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, suggesting that "everything out of his mouth causes problems."

"I don't like it, and it better stop," added Trump.

Trump's threat of "downfall" evidently fell on deaf ears, as Moscow launched yet another missile and drone attack on Monday, this time deploying nine winged missiles and 355 drones, most of them Shahed suicide drones.

Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reportedly referred to the Monday attack as a "retaliatory strike."

When asked about Trump's remarks regarding Putin, Peskov said, "We are really grateful to the Americans and to President Trump personally for their assistance in organizing and launching this negotiation process," according to Reuters.

'There are no longer any range restrictions for weapons.'

"Of course, at the same time, this is a very crucial moment, which is associated, of course, with the emotional overload of everyone absolutely and with emotional reactions," added Peskov.

Trump did not respond well to Monday's attacks, stating, "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. He's playing with fire!"

Escalation

While Trump is now contemplating hitting Moscow with new sanctions, Russia could soon be hit with something far more devastating.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz signaled on Monday that Germany, the U.K., the U.S., and other nations have removed all remaining range restrictions on weapons provided to Ukraine.

"We will do everything in our power to continue supporting Ukraine," wrote Merz. "This also means no longer having any range restrictions on the weapons we supply. Ukraine can now also defend itself by attacking military positions in Russia."

Merz clarified who was onboard with this move, telling a crowd, "There are no longer any range restrictions for weapons that have been delivered to Ukraine — neither by the British, nor by the French, nor by us, and not by the Americans either," reported the Associated Press.

Former President Joe Biden secretly signed off on the transfer of the Army Tactical Missile System to Ukraine in February 2024. The American-made supersonic missiles have a range of up to 190 miles. Ukraine also has British-made Storm Shadow missiles, which have a range of 155 miles.

Around the time of the American presidential election, Biden eased some of the restrictions on American long-range missile use against Russia. It's unclear what additional limits on use still remained.

RELATED: Trump reveals Ukraine ceasefire challenges and who he blames most

MAXIM SHIPENKOV/POOL/AFP via Getty Images / Andrew Kravchenko/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The use of long-range weapons against targets deep within Russia is a move long urged by Ukrainian officials, resisted by U.S. officials concerned about escalation, and identified by Putin as a trigger for a direct conflict between NATO and Russia.

Peskov said of Merz's statement that the elimination of range restrictions would be "quite dangerous" and "run contrary to our efforts to reach a political settlement."

'All options remain on the table.'

Although Peskov suggested that such a counterpunch could jeopardize negotiations, Russia is doing its part to delay meaningful peace in the region. After all, Russian forces are presently on the move and advancing through eastern Ukraine. They reportedly captured two settlements in the Donetsk region and a third settlement in the northern region of Sumy over the weekend.

The Institute for the Study of War noted in its Sunday assessment of the Russian campaign that

Russian President Vladimir Putin is leveraging long-range strikes against Ukrainian cities, aggressive rhetorical campaigns, and excessive pessimism in the West about the battlefield situation in Ukraine in a multi-pronged effort to degrade Ukrainian morale and convince the West that a Russian victory in Ukraine is inevitable and that supporting Ukraine is futile.

"We continue to support direct talks between Russia and Ukraine. There is no military solution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. A diplomatic solution is necessary to end the war and save lives," a State Department spokesperson told Blaze News.

Responding to question about whether the U.S. might now adopt a different approach to Russia, the spokesperson said, "All options remain on the table. President Trump has said clearly that he has a range of measures available to encourage Russia to participate constructively in negotiations."

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