Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov commented on U.S. President Donald Trump’s claims that Russia is a “paper tiger” and that Ukraine is capable of taking back all of its territory.
Speaking in a radio interview, Peskov was dismissive of Trump’s assessment, suggesting it was influenced by his meeting with Zelensky earlier the same day.
“Yesterday they met. Naturally, Mr. Trump heard about what’s happening from Ukraine’s perspective. Apparently, that version shaped the assessment we heard,” Peskov said.
He added that Russian President Vladimir Putin is “extending a hand” to Trump with his proposal to extend the New START nuclear arms reduction treaty for an additional year.
Trump’s “paper tiger” comments came in a social media post on Tuesday evening. Earlier in the day, he made multiple comments in meetings with world leaders characterizing the Russian army’s performance on the battlefield as lackluster.
Sign up for Meduza’s daily newsletter
A digest of Russia’s investigative reports and news analysis. If it matters, we summarize it.