JAKARTA - Russia reacted with joy at the heated debate between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House. Russia says the Ukrainian president gets what he deserves.
This fierce argument is a gift for Moscow, which seeks to establish ties with Trump's new government while trying to discredit Zelenskiy and weaken its legitimacy.
Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev said Zelenskiy, accused Trump and Vice President JD Vance of disrespecting the United States, had accepted a "hard slap".
The brutal crackdown in the Oval room, Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, wrote on Telegram.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Maria Zakharova said it was a miracle, Trump and Vance refrained from attacking Zelenskyy during the fight, which was broadcast on news channels around the world.
He said Zelenskyy was like biting the hand that fed him.
Hardline nationalist TV creator Vladimir Solovyov announced a special event aimed at "Zelenskyy's suicide at the White House".
Medvedev, in his post, insulted Zelenskyy and said he was finally told the truth directly as he said, "Kyiv regime is playing with the Third World War."
Medvedev called for military aid to Ukraine to be stopped, something Moscow has long urged.
Russia has long described Zelenskyy as an unstable and self-obsessed US doll.
He was used by Joe Biden's previous administration to try to cause a strategic defeat in Moscow by fighting until Ukraine last.
Zelenskyyy rejected the assumption, and said he was doing everything he could to defend his country from Russia with the help of Ukrainian allies.
The rapid restoration of relations between Moscow and Washington has alarmed Ukraine and its European allies, who fear Trump and President Vladimir Putin will make a deal that will see them eliminated and weaken their security.
Putin has repeatedly said that Zelenskiy is not a legitimate leader because his five-year term ended last year. Ukraine has not been able to hold elections because it has been under martial law since the massive war erupted in February 2022.
Trump last week echoed Putin's narrative, describing Zelenskiy as a dictator without elections'.
The destruction of relations between Trump and Zelenskyy at the White House has left the Ukrainian leader even more exposed in the three-year war, where his country relies heavily on the aid and weapons supplied by Trump's predecessor, Joe Biden.
Former Kremlin adviser Sergei Markov said fighting in the Oval Room would most likely accelerate the end of Zelenskyyy's political career, something some Russian officials have long wanted to see, as it believes it will be easier to reach a peace agreement with other parties.
"The main conclusion everyone takes from the Zelenskiy and Trump public scandals is that Zelenskiy is completely out of line and must step down from the presidency as soon as possible," Markov said.
Konstantin Kosachyov, deputy chairman of the Russian upper house of parliament, said the painful meeting had revealed Zelenskyy's true identity.
"Zelenskyy lost this round with a deafening shot and he had to crawl into the next round on his knees," Kosachyov wrote on Telegram.
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