“President Putin is taking the decisions that are necessary to ensure the security of our country,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, saying Russia’s strikes were a response to Ukrainian ones.

The Kremlin said President Vladimir Putin was defending Russia after US President Donald Trump called him “crazy” following three consecutive days of massive Russian strikes on Ukraine.

“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.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia was acting out of a “sense of total impunity” after three days of huge strikes on Ukraine, calling on Kyiv’s allies to increase sanctions on Moscow.

“Only a sense of total impunity can allow Russia to carry out such strikes and continue increasing their scale,” Zelensky said on social media, adding: “The increase in Russian strikes should be met with increased sanctions.”