Russsia is extremely pleased with the Oval Office spectacle between Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance. However, one prominent Russian voice has not been heard, that of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has yet to comment on the situation at the time of writing.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, a staunch defender of Putin, was delighted by what he described as the “proper slap down” Zelenskyy received from Trump and Vance. On X, Medvedev wrote that Trump was right about Ukraine “gambling with WWIII.
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova declared it a “miracle” that Trump and Vance had refrained from hitting Zelenskyy during the intense exchange.
UKRAINE AMBASSADOR’S REACTION TO THE TRUMP-ZELENSKYY OVAL OFFICE CLASH GOES VIRAL
Not only are Russian leaders relishing; state media officials also revel in the chaos.
“The Russian media, mostly controlled by Putin’s government, is gloating over the headlines about the spat between Zelenskyy and Presidents Trump and JD Vance, including the early departure from the White House,” explained Rebekah Koffler, a strategic military intelligence analyst and former senior official at the Defense Intelligence Agency.
“Rossiyskaya Gazeta,” Russia’s National Gazette, used strong language against Zelenskyy, with many headlines mocking the leader’s conflict with Trump and Vance and his early departure from the White House, according to Koffler, who translated the headlines.
Furthermore, state TV commentator Vladimir Solovyov announced a special program focusing on “Zelenskyy’s suicide in the White House,” Reuters reported.
President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., Feb. 28, 2025. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
WORLD LEADERS BACK ZELENSKYY AFTER TRUMP, VANCE OVAL OFFICE SPAT
After the tense Oval Office meeting, world leaders came out to condemn Trump and Vance’s actions and show their support for Ukraine. French President Emmanuel Macron, a recent visitor to Trump in DC, expressed his support for Ukraine on X.
“There is an aggressor: Russia. There is a victim: Ukraine. We were right to help Ukraine and sanction Russia three years ago—and to keep doing so,” Macron said. “By ‘we,’ I mean the Americans, the Europeans, the Canadians, the Japanese, and many others.”
While U.K. Prime Minister Kier Starmer has yet to comment publicly, the Conservative Party leader, Kemi Badenoch, spoke in support of Ukraine, writing, “We need to remember that the villain is war criminal President Putin who invaded Ukraine with no justification.”
Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, a longtime Trump critic, said, “Canada will continue to stand with Ukraine and Ukrainians in achieving a just and lasting peace.”
Before the Oval Office exchange, tensions were already palpable. President Trump had called President Zelenskyy “a dictator without elections” on Truth Social. Later, when questioned, Trump appeared to back down, saying, “Did I say that?”
Donald Trump’s administration’s stance deviates wildly from Joe Biden’s administration. Biden confirmed his pro-Ukraine stance after the February 2022 invasion, though he had previously suggested a “minor incursion” would not be severely punished. Conversely, Trump informed the press minutes before the exchange that he would not take either Russia’s or Ukraine’s side, stating, “I’m aligned with the United States of America and the good of the world.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy leaving the White House after a heated meeting in the Oval Office in Washington, D.C., Feb. 28, 2025. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
During an interview with Fox News’ chief political anchor Bret Baier, Zelenskyy did not apologize for the heated exchange but acknowledged it was “bad for both sides.”
“I want to be honest and want our partners to understand the situation correctly, and want to understand everything correctly. That’s about not losing our friendship,” Zelenskyy stated on “Special Report.”
