After Zelensky's Arrogant Behavior in the White House, Is President Vladimir Putin in a Beneficial Position?
In response to Friday's events, world leaders have quickly reacted. However, Vladimir Putin has made no comments so far. In fact, he doesn’t need to say anything. President Putin can afford to sit back and watch the situation unfold.
President Donald Trump referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's arrogant behavior in the White House as “great television.” There’s no doubt that Vladimir Putin enjoyed this "show," where President Zelensky of the country invaded by Russia was berated by the President and Vice President of the United States in front of the world’s media.
However, some Russian officials have commented on the incident. Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council and former President, wrote on social media, “Zelensky got a slap in the Oval Office.” He called on the U.S. to stop military assistance to Ukraine.
Moscow would likely welcome this. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova wrote on Telegram, praising Trump and JD Vance for their “miracle of restraint” in not striking Ukraine’s president. This is a symbol of the new world order, where U.S.-Ukraine relations are deteriorating while U.S.-Russia relations are improving.
Recently, Trump and Putin spoke on the phone and pledged to work closely together. There is also talk of a possible summit soon. Lower-level U.S.-Russia talks have already begun to reset relations and discuss potential economic cooperation.
Putin has also proposed joint projects involving rare earth minerals and aluminum production with the Americans.
If U.S. military aid to Ukraine were to stop, it would make it much harder for Ukrainians to defend themselves against Russian forces, even though Ukraine continues to receive support from European leaders.
Moscow has believed for some time now that the war in Ukraine is going in their favor. Zelensky's arrogant behavior in the Oval Office has only reinforced this view.
