Vladimir Putin’s most infamous television propagandist has launched a vicious tirade against Donald Trump as he openly vowed more slaughter in Ukraine. Kremlin mouthpiece Vladimir Solovyov also ridiculed the former US president, mocked France’s Emmanuel Macron as a “pathetic nobody,” and tore into Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky while rejecting any notion of a ceasefire.
Solovyov’s latest outburst, broadcast on Russian state TV, followed Mr Trump’s weekend comments accusing Mr Putin of stringing him along on peace talks. Mr Trump had called on the Russian leader to “sit down and make a deal” and commit to a full ceasefire. The Kremlin responded by proposing a temporary three-day truce to coincide with VE Day on May 7 – but Solovyov made it clear this was a tactical ploy, not a shift in strategy. Mocking Mr Trump’s authority, Solovyov said: “Whether Trump imposes sanctions on us or not — what difference does it make? Trump is not Putin. He does not have the full authority or capabilities.”
The Putin mouthpiece also lashed out at Macron for urging Mr Putin to prove he was serious about peace. He said: “Prove it to whom, to you, you pathetic nobody? We owe you nothing at all."
As for Mr Zelensky, Solovyov dismissed Ukraine’s position entirely. He claimed: “Zelensky agrees to a complete ceasefire. We couldn’t care less what Zelensky agrees or disagrees with!”
He added: “The mission is not yet fully accomplished. Russia’s land is not yet liberated. And the men in uniform are not waiting for Trump – they are carrying out their assigned combat missions.”
In his nightly address, Mr Zelensky responded by blasting the proposed ceasefire as blatant “manipulation.”
He said: “Here is another attempt at manipulation. For some reason everyone should wait for May 8 and only then cease fire to provide Putin with silence during the parade.
“We value human lives, not parades. That is why we believe – the world believes – that there is no reason to wait for May 8.
“And the fire must cease, not for a few days, only to kill again. An immediate, complete and unconditional ceasefire – and for at least 30 days, to be guaranteed and credible – is what can provide the basis for real diplomacy.”
Mr Zelensky also hailed the “liquidation” of high-ranking Russian officers after Lieutenant-General Yaroslav Moskalik was killed in a suspected Ukrainian car bomb attack in Moscow.
Footage showed the moment the blast erupted, with Moskalik hurled “several metres” by the explosion. Russia blamed Ukraine for the strike, though Kyiv has made no formal comment.
However, Mr Zelensky said Ukraine’s foreign intelligence chief had “reported on the liquidation of persons from the top command of the Russian armed forces. Justice inevitably is done”.
He added: “The head reported on further measures to counter Russian agent networks in Ukraine and saboteurs. Good results. Thank you for your work.”
Meanwhile, Russian strikes continued to pound Ukrainian cities. A 12-year-old girl was killed in Dnipropetrovsk, while in Kyiv, a drone attack burned down a three-storey recreation centre, injuring at least one civilian.
