Satisfaction and gloating - this is what the comments from Russia about the new American position on Ukraine exude. Trump's attacks on Zelensky are truly pleasing to Putin and others in the Kremlin.
His first reaction came two days after the talks in Riyadh between the foreign ministers of the US and Russia on the war in Ukraine: Vladimir Putin expressed cautious optimism, as if to temper expectations. He would be happy to meet Donald Trump, the American president was intelligent, and the talks in Riyadh should be rated "highly", Putin told reporters during a visit to a drone factory in St. Petersburg, as if by chance.
While Donald Trump's recent comments about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky caused a stir in Kiev and other European capitals, Putin praised his American counterpart and attacked the Europeans: "Frankly, I am surprised by the restraint of American President Trump towards his allies, who are behaving, let's put it bluntly, outrageously."
Putin's spokesman also criticized the Europeans and NATO. "The deployment of military forces from NATO countries in Ukraine is unacceptable for Russia," Dmitry Peskov said of the idea of European peacekeepers enforcing the Ukraine agreement.
Peskov also called Zelensky's choice of words against Trump in their verbal spat this week "absolutely unacceptable". When Trump accused the Ukrainian president of having only four percent support in his homeland, Zelensky countered that the US president was living in a "bubble of disinformation".
"Denial of reality"
There has not been such great unity between Moscow and Washington for a long time. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova commented: "Russia is aware of the nervous reaction of the West to Russian-American contacts. They are going into real hysteria about this." According to Zakharova, the West - by which she obviously means European countries - has chosen the path of "denial of reality" and "rejection of all moral and ethical concepts".
Bile is also felt in the broadcasts of the first program of Russian television. In the program "60 Minutes", the host Olga Skabeeva stated: "Europe does not want to admit that the world is changing. But it is changing very quickly." Skabeeva criticized the EU for adopting the sixteenth consecutive package of sanctions against Russia. However, she is convinced that all sanctions "will be lifted next week".
The high-circulation "Komsomolskaya Pravda" calls Zelensky "a boy in green pants", whom Europe defends "uncompromisingly and absolutely senselessly". The only thing it would achieve is that it would bring Trump closer to Russia.
The newspaper "Arguments and Facts" quotes a Russian political scientist who is convinced that Trump will soon get rid of Zelensky: "Trump wants Zelensky, who is in contact with his enemies (...), to disappear". The newspaper goes even further and discusses "the most suitable places of refuge" for the Ukrainian head of state after his future removal from power. At the same time, Putin is praised as a winner who is no longer isolated in the Western world.
"War criminals as partners in dialogue"
The exiled Russian politician Dmitry Gudkov also points out that Putin has suddenly become acceptable to the Americans - without making him happy. In an interview with DW, the former MP said: "The war criminal who started it all is now being treated as an equal partner for talks." What is happening is tantamount to creating some problems and then forcing world leaders to negotiate with you to solve these problems, Gudkov added.
Former opposition politician Andrei Pivovarov is more skeptical about the chances of real rapprochement between Russia and the United States. In an interview with DW, he pointed out that the Americans are leaving open the possibility of a 180-degree turn. Regarding the upcoming talks between Putin and Trump, which, according to indications from the White House, may soon take place in Saudi Arabia, he said: "We don't know what position the United States will take. At the moment, we only see an exchange of pleasantries with Russia and Putin." However, this is only the carrot. The stick will come into play if the Americans do not reach an agreement with the Russians, Pivovarov added.
Prominent Russian military bloggers who support Russia's war against Ukraine also warn against prematurely shouting "hurray". The US is the main beneficiary of the war, Europe is fragmented, Russia is weakened - freezing the conflict would be beneficial for everyone, and normalizing relations with the US would be necessary for Russia. However, it should be borne in mind that the next US president could turn everything around in four years, they say.