The Kremlin on Monday dismissed U.S. President Donald Trump’s scathing remarks about Vladimir Putin, attributing them to “emotional overload” following Russia’s most intense aerial assault on Ukraine since the war began.

Trump, reacting to the overnight bombardment in which Russia launched 367 drones and missiles and killed at least 13 civilians, wrote on Truth Social: “He [Putin] has gone absolutely crazy… Something has happened to him. He is needlessly killing a lot of people.”

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov downplayed the comments, calling them “emotionally charged statements” likely made in the heat of the moment. He insisted the attacks were in response to Ukrainian strikes on civilian infrastructure inside Russia.

Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed to have intercepted 20 Ukrainian drones over several regions on Sunday night. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned Russia’s attacks as “politically motivated” with “no military justification,” accusing Moscow of deliberately targeting civilians to prolong the war.

In a related development, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced that Berlin would lift restrictions on the range of weapons it supplies to Ukraine, potentially opening the door to deliveries of Taurus cruise missiles, capable of striking deep inside Russian territory.

“Ukraine can now defend itself by striking military targets in Russia,” Merz said, suggesting the change was overdue. Zelensky is expected to travel to Berlin on Wednesday, where the final details of the missile agreement may be ironed out.

Meanwhile, Trump also lashed out at Zelensky, saying the Ukrainian leader’s rhetoric was making diplomacy harder. “Everything out of his mouth causes problems. I don’t like it, and it better stop,” he told reporters.

Despite his criticism of both leaders, Trump claimed a recent two-hour phone call with Putin had gone “very well,” and expressed optimism that ceasefire negotiations could begin soon.

While Kyiv has signaled conditional support for a 30-day ceasefire, Russia has yet to formally agree, instead proposing to draft a memorandum outlining “principles for a future peace.” Ukraine and its Western allies view this as a delay tactic.

Talks between Ukrainian and Russian envoys resumed on May 16 in Istanbul for the first time in over two years. Apart from a significant prisoner exchange, however, little progress has been made. Russia continues to occupy around 20% of Ukrainian territory, including the Crimean Peninsula.