Trump: 'Putin has gone mad. If he tries to conquer all of Ukraine Russia will fall'. Merz: no limits on arms range in Kiev

Putin's spokesman, Dmitri Peskov, called the decisions of European countries to remove restrictions on the range of weapons supplied to Ukraine "rather dangerous, if taken". This was reported by the Interfax news agency citing an interview with Peskov by journalist Aleksandr Yunashev. "These potential decisions, if they are ever actually taken, are absolutely at odds with our aspirations to reach a political solution," Peskov said. German Chancellor Merz said that Berlin and other western allies of Kiev had removed restrictions on the range of weapons sent to Ukraine.

In the evening, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed developments regarding the conflict in Ukraine after the Istanbul talks on 16 May and efforts to end the crisis. This was reported by a Turkish diplomatic source to Russian news agencies.

"During the meeting, efforts to end the conflict in Ukraine and the development of events since the talks held in Istanbul on 16 May were discussed," the source said.

Putin and Fidan also discussed economic and energy issues during their talks in Moscow, the source added.

Meanwhile, during the day, Russian forces attacked Ukraine last night with nine cruise missiles and a record 355 drones of various types, including Shahed suicide bombers: the Kiev Air Force announced this on Telegram, adding that all missiles and 288 unmanned aircraft were shot down. This was reported by Rbc-Ukraine. The destroyed drones were intercepted all over the country's territory, the Air Force said, adding that 55 drones fell in open areas.

According to Moscow, however, the massive Russian raids on Ukraine over the past two days have targeted 'military targets' and are a 'retaliation' for Ukrainian drone bombings on Russian territory. This was stated by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. "We see how the Ukrainians are hitting our civilian infrastructure," the spokesman said, quoted by Interfax news agency.

"This was the third night of combined Russian terror: attack drones and missiles. Only a sense of total impunity can allow Russia to inflict such blows and constantly increase their scope. This makes no military sense, but it makes great political sense. Putin thus shows how much he despises a world that engages more in 'dialogue' with him than in pressure'. Thus Ukrainian leader Voldymyr Zelensky on Telegram after the new wave of attacks in the night. "Like any criminal, Russia can only be brought to justice by force. Only through force - the force of the United States, the force of Europe, the force of all nations that respect life - can these attacks be completely ended and true peace achieved. The increase in Russian attacks should be countered with tougher sanctions,' the Ukrainian president continued. "Russia's ignorance of diplomacy and refusal even to accept a ceasefire must be countered by blocking Russian finances and trade in Russian oil. Thanks to all those around the world who are pushing this very strong agenda. Russia must put an end to this war,' concludes the Ukrainian leader, who will pay an official visit to Berlin on Wednesday and meet with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

In an interview with Berlin's public television station Wrd Merz explained that "there is no longer any limitation to the scope of the weapons provided to Ukraine" by its main western allies, Germany, the US, the UK and France. "This means that Ukraine can now defend itself, for example by attacking military positions in Russia," the German leader added, "which it did not do some time ago, with a few exceptions. Now it can do so,' he continued. Merz added that the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, mistakes offers of dialogue to end the war in Ukraine as "a sign of weakness". "If even a proposal to meet in the Vatican does not find Russia's approval, we must prepare ourselves for the fact that this war will last longer than we want or can imagine," he said.

"Russia's latest attacks in Ukraine show once again that Moscow is not interested in peace and therefore more pressure is needed: we are working on sanctions that can really cripple the Russian economy," said a European Commission spokeswoman. "Moscow only understands force."

Also Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that there is still no agreement on the continuation of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine or their location. "There is still no clarity on the continuation of the negotiation process and the location, we have to prepare for the next round. So it is too early to talk about it," Peskov told reporters.

Peskov also thanked US President Donald Trump for his recent interventions: Russia is "sincerely grateful to the United States and US President Donald Trump" for the "great efforts" made to organise direct negotiations between Moscow and Kiev. "This is a very important achievement," the Kremlin spokesman acknowledged. "The start of the negotiation process, for which the American side has made great efforts, is a very important result. We are sincerely grateful to the Americans and personally to President Trump for their help in organising and launching this negotiation process," Peskov told reporters.