Julia Davis reports:

The disgraceful spectacle of President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance taking turns insulting the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky during a White House meeting on Friday was a welcome sight for pro-Kremlin propagandists in Moscow. They’ve described it as an ambush, designed as a way for America to part ways with Ukraine—and they couldn’t be happier with the way this setup played out.

Appearing on Friday’s breaking news broadcast on channel Solovyov Live, political scientist Alexander Voskoboinikov noted that Trump “simply lured [Zelensky] to the White House for this meeting. I can’t explain it any other way. What happened there was a pre-planned operation that was meant to show the whole world that Americans are getting out of this situation. At least, this is what they are demonstrating.”

Host Sergey Karnaukhov giddily described these events as “incredible,” his voice trembling with excitement. He said, “Zelensky got what he deserved. This is his fate. The trial of history started before our very eyes.” At the conclusion of the broadcast, the channel aired a new crowdfunded commercial that began broadcasting in late February. It started with the words, “We are one step away from victory. This is the moment of truth… It’s now or never.”

One day earlier, Zelensky’s Oval Office ambush was predicted by State Duma member Oleg Morozov on 60 Minutes, a state TV show. Morozov said that the meeting would be a lesson in humiliation, designed to condition Zelensky to capitulate to the United States—and later to Russia. The lawmaker said that the Ukrainian president was flying to America “to sign an act of capitulation,” referring to the rare earth mineral deal Trump was determined to get as a “payback” for previous aid to Ukraine. Describing Trump as Zelensky’s “Daddy,” Morozov predicted, “They will rub his nose into everything, like a messy puppy… Then he will sign whatever he is told to sign.” Host Evgeny Popov chimed in, “But first, Daddy will flog him.” [Continue reading…]