<
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/01/russia-trump-zelenskyy-ukraine-leader-oval-office-putin>
"Russian officials and Moscow’s media outlets reacted with predictable glee to
the dramatic clash between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump at the White
House on Friday.
Posting on social media, Dmitry Medvedev, Putin’s deputy on the security
council and former president, called the exchange “a brutal dressing-down in
the Oval Office”.
He wrote: “Trump told the ... clown [Zelenskyy] the truth to his face: the Kyiv
regime is playing with the third world war … This is useful. But it’s not
enough – we need to stop military support [to Ukraine].”
In recent days, concern grew in Moscow as Trump seemed to lean toward a more
Zelenskyy-friendly position following visits to Washington by the leaders of
Poland, France and Britain, who urged support for Ukraine. Trump had indicated
a willingness to back European peacekeepers in Ukraine – a move Kyiv and
European governments saw as essential to preventing Moscow from reigniting the
war, as it had after previous ceasefires.
But any worries the Kremlin may have had faded when Zelenskyy found himself
ambushed by Trump and his vice-president, JD Vance.
“How Trump and Vance held back from hitting that scumbag is a miracle of
restraint,” wrote Maria Zakharova, Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson, on
Telegram.
There has been no comment so far from Putin, who has instead taken a backseat,
likely watching the fallout unfold with satisfaction. “Putin doesn’t have to
say much right now,” said a source familiar with the Kremlin’s thinking.
“It’s clear that he enjoyed the show and now believes he can push for even
greater demands in Ukraine. That meeting was a bigger victory for Putin than
any of his military battles since the start of the war.”"
Via Violet Blue’s
Threat Model: The View From Here
https://www.patreon.com/posts/view-from-here-123485288
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
