US and UK remove all range restrictions on weapons in Ukraine after Trump brands Putin 'absolutely crazy'
27 May 2025, 08:02
The UK, US and the rest of Ukraine’s western allies have agreed to remove all remaining range restrictions on the country’s use of weapons following Trump’s blistering criticism of Putin.
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It comes after Russia launched its largest wave of drone strikes at Ukraine since its full-scale invasion began in 2022, leading President Trump to brand Putin “absolutely crazy.”
On Sunday, Friedrich Merz, Germany’s conservative leader, confirmed Ukraine has been granted permission to use “long-range fire”, as France’s President Macron called for “massive retaliation.”
Announcing the new measures, Merz said: “There are no longer any range limits on the weapons that have been delivered to Ukraine: not from the Britons, nor from the French, nor from us, and not from the Americans either.
“This means that Ukraine can now defend itself, for example, by attacking military positions in Russia … with very few exceptions, it didn’t do that until recently. It can now do that.”
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The White House is yet to officially confirm the move, but it came quickly after Trump took to Truth Social to slam Vladimir Putin.
He wrote: “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. 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! Likewise, President Zelenskyy is 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. This is a War that would never have started if I were President.
“This is Zelenskyy’s, Putin’s, and Biden’s War, not ‘Trump’s,’ I am only helping to put out the big and ugly fires, that have been started through Gross Incompetence and Hatred.”
Speaking to journalists on Sunday, he added: "I’m not happy with what Putin is doing. He’s killing a lot of people.
"I don’t know what the hell happened to Putin. 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.
"We're in the middle of talking and he's shooting rockets into Kyiv and other cities. I don't like it at all."
Hitting back at Trump, the Kremlin accused him of "emotional overload" but thanked him for getting peace talks started.
