Ukraine's allies back long-range missile strikes on Russia & Trump calls Putin 'absolutely crazy'

Day 1,189.

Today, after Kyiv suffers some of the most intense bombardments of the war, we look at why more drones and ballistic missiles are piercing Ukrainian defences, and assess the significance of Donald Trump saying that Vladimir Putin has gone “absolutely crazy.” Plus we hear another interview from Dom’s trip to Estonia, and reflect on how the podcast began with Ukraine’s: The Latest’s original producer.

Contributors:

Francis Dearnley (Executive Editor for Audio). @FrancisDearnley on X.

Dom Nicholls (Associate Editor for Defence). @DomNicholls on X.

Giles Gear (Audio Executive Editor). @GilesGear on LinkedIn.

With thanks to Dr Jack Watling (Senior Research Fellow at Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies). @Jack_Watling on X.

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Content Referenced:

Russia Is Raining Hellfire On Ukraine (The Economist):

https://www.economist.com/europe/2025/05/25/russia-is-raining-hellfire-on-ukraine

Slammed by Russian missiles, Ukraine seeks more U.S. air defense systems (Washington Post):

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/05/26/ukraine-patriot-missiles-air-defense-raytheon/

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