Russia announced on Sunday it had exchanged another 303 Ukrainian prisoners of war for the same number of Russian soldiers held by Kyiv, the last phase of the largest-ever such swap between the warring countries. Russia and Ukraine have over three days "carried out the exchange of 1,000 people for 1,000 people", the defence ministry said. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump called his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin "crazy" on Sunday after Moscow launched a deadly barrage of drones against Ukraine.
According to AFP, both sides received 390 people in the first stage on Friday and 307 in the second stage on Saturday. "In accordance with the Russian-Ukrainian agreements reached in Istanbul on May 16, the Russian and Ukrainian sides have, over the weekend, carried out the exchange of 1,000 people for 1,000 people," Russia's defence ministry said, amid international pressure for a ceasefire.
Russia has signalled it will send Ukraine its terms for a peace settlement after the exchange, without saying what those terms would be. US President Donald Trump on Friday congratulated the two countries for the swap. "This could lead to something big," he wrote on his Truth Social platform.
President Trump however changed his tone on Sunday and heavily criticized his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin after Moscow launched a deadly barrage of drones against Ukraine with at least 13 people casualties. "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 said in a post on his Truth Social platform.
"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!" he added.
His comments marked a rare rebuke to Putin, who he often speaks of with admiration. The US leader has, however, expressed increasing frustration with Moscow's position in deadlocked truce negotiations with Kyiv.
Earlier on Sunday, according to AFP, Trump told reporters he was "not happy" about the latest attack on Ukraine and that he was "absolutely" considering increasing sanctions on Moscow. "I've known him a long time, always gotten along with him, but he's sending rockets into cities and killing people, and I don't like it at all," he said.
Ukraine's emergency services described Sunday an atmosphere of "terror" in the country after a second straight night of massive Russian air strikes, including on the capital Kyiv. Those killed in the latest Russian strikes included victims aged eight, 12 and 17 in the northwestern region of Zhytomyr, officials said. "Without truly strong pressure on the Russian leadership, this brutality cannot be stopped," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on social media. "The silence of America, the silence of others around the world only encourages Putin," he said, adding: "Sanctions will certainly help."
In his social media post, Trump also criticized Zelensky, a frequent target of his ire, accusing him of "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," he said.
The European Union's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, also called for "the strongest international pressure on Russia to stop this war." "Last night's attacks again show Russia bent on more suffering and the annihilation of Ukraine," she said on social media.
