Kremlin warns Russians against Trump euphoria and ‘rose-tinted spectacles’

MOSCOW - The Kremlin on March 11 warned Russians not to get carried away by what the administration of US President Donald Trump is doing over Ukraine, even though its actions may sometimes look hopeful for Moscow, and to always “prepare for the worst”.

Washington has paused military aid to Ukraine and put some intelligence sharing on hold after Mr Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky clashed in the Oval Office in February, and Moscow’s forces have since had significant success in pushing Ukrainian forces out of Russia’s western Kursk region.

Senior Russian politicians reacted with glee to what they saw as Mr Zelensky’s White House humiliation, saying the Ukrainian leader got what he deserved, in an encounter seen as helpful to Moscow at a time when it is working to build ties with Mr Trump’s new administration while trying to discredit Mr Zelensky.

Mr Trump adviser Elon Musk also caused a stir in Russia on March 9 by saying onsocial media platform X that the entire Ukrainian front line would collapse if he turned off his Starlink communications terminals, even though he later said it was something he would never do.

“Don’t rush to put on rose-tinted spectacles,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told an audience at Moscow’s Higher School of Economics on March 11, delivering a reality check to Russians excited by Mr Trump’s apparently friendlier behaviour towards them, which has completely upended the policy of the previous US administration.

“We always need to hope for the best but be prepared for the worst. And we must always be ready to defend our interests,” said Mr Peskov.

His warning came as US and Ukrainian officials held talks in Saudi Arabia that are partly designed to determine whether Ukraine is willing to make material concessions to Russia to end the war.

If the talks go well, Kyiv hopes Mr Trump may resume military aid and full intelligence sharing.

‘Everything is working out for us’

Mr Peskov said Russia was achieving its aims on the battlefield in Ukraine, regardless of any past or future decisions taken by the US administration.

“Many (Russians) are... saying that the Americans will now stop delivering weapons (to Ukraine) or have already stopped, and that Musk will now turn off his communications system and that everything will work out for us,” said Mr Peskov.

“(But) everything is working out for us without these things. And so many weapons have been brought into Ukraine that, even after a halt in deliveries, the Ukrainians will have stuff to fight with and on for many, many months ahead.

“If Musk turns off his system, then something else will immediately be switched on. But things are working out for our guys (fighting in Ukraine) without any switch-offs, without any halts (in deliveries), and they are moving forward,” he said. REUTERS