Kumar Bahukhandi
Donald Trump, Putin and Volodymyr Zelens
Russia has long portrayed Zelensky as a US puppet. Zelensky has rejected this characterization, saying he is doing everything he can to protect his country from Russia with the help of Ukraine’s allies.
Russia on Friday February 28,2025 cheered a fierce clash between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House, saying the Ukrainian leader got what he deserved. The acrimony was a gift to Moscow, which is working to build ties with Trump’s new administration and seek to discredit Zelensky and undermine his legitimacy.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Zelensky, who has been accused by Trump and Vice President JD Vance of being disrespectful to the United States, had received “a hard slap.”
‘Biting the same hand…’
Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, posted on Telegram: “He was brutally beaten in the Oval Office.” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said it was a miracle that Trump and Vance restrained themselves from attacking Zelensky during the debate, which was broadcast on news channels around the world. He said Zelensky was biting the hand that fed him.
Russia has long portrayed Zelensky as an unstable and self-obsessed American puppet. Zelensky has rejected that characterization, saying he is doing everything he can to protect his country from Russia with the help of Ukraine’s allies.
‘Dictator without elections…’
The rapid rapprochement between Moscow and Washington has worried Ukraine and its European allies, who fear President Putin could strike a deal that would sideline them and undermine their security.
Putin has repeatedly said Zelensky is not legitimate because his five-year term ended last year. Ukraine has been unable to hold elections because it is under martial law after war broke out in February 2022. Trump last week described Zelensky as a “dictator without elections,” echoing Putin’s comments.
The confrontation between Trump and Zelensky in the White House has left the Ukrainian leader more exposed than ever in the three-year war, during which his country has relied heavily on aid and weapons supplied by Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden.
Former Kremlin adviser Sergei Markov said the confrontation in the Oval Office was likely to trigger the final blow to Zelensky’s political career. This is something Russian officials have been hoping to see for some time, as they believed it would be easier to reach a peace deal with someone else.
Konstantin Kosachyov, deputy speaker of Russia’s upper house of parliament, said Zelensky had been identified after the uproar, his true colours had been revealed.
