MOSCOW – Russia’s Foreign Ministry has labeled Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Washington on February 28 as a political and diplomatic failure, accusing him of being fixated on prolonging the conflict.
During his White House meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, tensions ran high, further straining relations between Kyiv and its key military ally. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, in a statement published on March 1, condemned the visit, calling it a complete failure for Ukraine’s leadership.
Zakharova criticized Zelensky’s conduct at the White House, describing it as “brazen and disrespectful,” and accused him of prioritizing power over his country’s well-being. “To maintain control, he has suppressed opposition, established a totalitarian regime, and continues to send countless citizens to their deaths,” she claimed. Kyiv has previously rejected such accusations.
Moscow welcomed the fallout from the meeting, with former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev remarking that Zelensky had received a “harsh rebuke.” Reports suggest that Trump and Vice President JD Vance accused Zelensky of showing a lack of respect toward the U.S., particularly as he attempted to dissuade Trump from aligning with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, has closely followed the diplomatic rift, seeing it as a potential shift in U.S. policy towards the ongoing war.