The Kremlin's instructions to Russian state media on the coverage of the latest US-Russian meetings show President Vladimir Putin's determination to manipulate US President Donald Trump and divide the West.
This was commented on by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
A source who regularly participates in meetings in Moscow with the editors of the largest media outlets reported that the Kremlin has told the media to emphasize "in every way" that Russia is in contact "not with some abstract Americans, but with the Trump team" and to demonstrate that Trump is "a person who has been oppressed in every way both at home and in Europe".
Multiple sources told the opposition newspaper "Verstka" that they had been instructed to create an image of Trump as someone who "has the wisdom" to respond to the Kremlin"s "outstretched" hand.
On February 27, Putin praised the Trump administration, saying that Russia's first contacts with the administration "inspire certain hopes" and that the Trump team shows "reciprocal determination" to restore US-Russian relations.
Putin said that "ideological clichés" have begun to "destroy the Western community... from within", as evidenced by the alleged problems in the economies and domestic politics of Western countries.
Putin claims that "some Western elites" are trying to "maintain instability" in the world and will try to "disturb or compromise" the US-Russian dialogue that has begun.
Putin's claim that "some Western elites" - but not the Trump administration - are against US-Russian negotiations, likely an attempt to drive wedges between Trump and other US actors and European leaders, ISW commented.
Similarly, the Kremlin has recently portrayed European leaders as interested in prolonging the war in Ukraine as part of an effort to misrepresent the US and European positions on the negotiations as significantly different and to discredit any possible European role in the negotiations.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and senior Russian officials continue to reject US conditions for negotiations and demand that Ukraine hand over territories that Russia has not occupied.
US and Russian delegations met in Istanbul on February 27 to continue discussing bilateral diplomatic relations between the US and Russia.
The Kremlin continues to insist that the US accept economic benefits unrelated to the war in Ukraine in exchange for Ukrainian and Western concessions that are related with the war.
North Korea has recently deployed additional troops to the Kursk region as North Korea continues to expand its military capabilities through cooperation with Russia.
Ukrainian forces have recently advanced near Toretsk and Pokrovsk, and Russian forces have recently advanced near Pokrovsk, Kurakhovo, and Velika Novosilka.