The extraordinary – and completely unprecedented – events at the White House on Friday were met with unabashed delight by Russia’s political elite and state-run media.
The commentary predominantly relished the public reprimanding of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Additionally, analysts pondered the European response to the heated exchanges involving US President Donald Trump, US Vice President JD Vance, and his Ukrainian counterpart.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova implied that President Trump and Vice President Vance should have “punched” Mr. Zelensky after he stated that Ukraine had been abandoned during the conflict.
She commended Mr. Trump and Mr. Vance for their “miraculous patience”.
The website proclaimed that “Zelensky has destroyed himself”.
Komsomolskaya Pravda, one of Russia’s most read newspapers, referred to the events in the Oval Office as a “public flogging”. Meanwhile, Argumenty i Fakty, another Russian publication, celebrated “the public reprimanding of the illegitimate leader of Kyiv’s regime”.
State-run media in Russia steadfastly insists on labeling Ukraine’s democratically elected government as either a “regime” or “junta” – a characterization that has become standard among Kremlin-aligned outlets.
Senator Alexey Pushkov, quoted by Komsomolskaya Pravda, claimed that Washington is aware of Europe’s reaction to the incident.
He argued that the support shown by many European leaders has now positioned them as Mr. Trump’s “enemies”.
Mr. Trump now possesses “more than enough reasons to break ties with Europe and make it face the consequences,” he added.
Komsomolskaya Pravda described the confrontation at the White House as a “spectacular fiasco”.
The report from Komsomolskaya Pravda
According to political analyst Sergey Markov, Europe’s “diabolical scheme to oust Trump” could be behind the Oval Office altercation, as he commented to Argumenty i Fakty, a publication controlled by the Russian government.
Mr. Markov alleged that Mr. Zelensky’s “arrogance” was coordinated with his European and American allies – or Mr. Trump’s adversaries.
The clash at the White House, Maxim Suchkov, director of the Institute for International Studies at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, noted, played directly into Russia’s hands.
He further added that it is now Russia’s turn to play its cards wisely, but conceded that “the keys to ending the conflict” lie with America.
More specifically, he highlighted Elon Musk, arguing that if Mr. Musk were to disable Starlink, the satellite internet service essential for Ukraine’s military, the war would reach a conclusion.
Mr. Markov said Ukraine’s military relies on Elon Musk’s Starlink
Interestingly, former Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl was extensively quoted by Russian media.
Following Russia’s invasion, Ms. Kneissl relocated to St. Petersburg, where she currently heads the Geopolitical Observatory for Russia’s Key Issues, a think tank established to promote Russian foreign policy.
In 2018, she became widely known for dancing with Vladimir Putin at her wedding, provoking significant outrage in Austria.
In a post on Telegram, Ms. Kneissl remarked that the White House is ushering in “a new era” of “realism”.
She further stated that the EU, “caught between US tariffs … and its 16 sanction packages against Russia, will not be able to substitute the US weapons and funds devoted to Ukraine”.
Another Russian senator, Konstantin Kosachev, declared that “Zelensky lost this round with a resounding crash” and mentioned he would need to “crawl on his knees” for the next encounter.
He added that today’s summit in London, organized by Keir Starmer, holds even greater significance.
European nations, he asserted, would be required to choose “which side they are on”.
