Moscow Calling – May 28
The love-hate tango of the U.S. and Russian presidents is rocking the Russian propaganda machine: on the one hand, they see an opportunity in Trump’s instinctive affinity with the Kremlin strongman. On the other hand, the US president calling his Russian counterpart “crazy” and warning him not to “play with fire” can not go without a response from chest-stomping Russian propaganda. From Medvedev’s brandishing of nukes to Zakharova’s attempt to make the story about Zelensky, here is our update.
Kellogg explains Trump’s words, while Medvedev threatens World War III
President Donald Trump’s special representative for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, suggested that the Russian leadership’s severing of constructive personal relations with Trump would be a “huge mistake.” “I think the fire he’s talking about is personal relations,” Kellogg said on Fox News, responding to a request to clarify Trump’s remarks about Putin “playing with fire” in connection with the latest events in Ukraine. According to TASS, Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev responded to Trump’s remarks by saying that a truly bad thing would be World War III and that the US president should understand this. (TASS)
Zakharova believes “Zelensky is using NATO” for “terrorism”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “has once again reaffirmed and proclaimed his concept that, together with NATO, which is supplying ‘[weapons to Ukraine], they will carry out terror against the peaceful population, civilians, and civilian infrastructure,” Zakharova said on Sputnik radio. At the same time, she noted that NATO may not realize that at the moment it is not using Zelensky, but Zelensky is using them to implement his terrorist ideas. One of the Kremlin’s propaganda narratives is that Russia is not fighting Ukraine in Ukraine, but NATO. (vesti.ru)
Lavrov on Russia’s demands for the talks with Ukraine
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is relentless and says that Moscow intends to seek the repeal of all discriminatory laws in force on Ukrainian territory. According to him, Ukraine has “banned” the Russian language, culture, traditions, and Russian-language media. Lavrov said that according to the UN Charter, “the territorial integrity of all states whose governments do not violate the principle of self-determination of peoples and, by virtue of this, represent the entire population living in the territory” must be respected. He concluded that the “Kyiv regime” today does not represent the population of the entire country (and, to prolong the logic, could be invaded and dismembered). (TASS)
War in Ukraine a “sign of strong brotherhood” with DPRK
The joint actions of DPRK soldiers and Russian troops in Russia’s Kursk region against Ukrainian forces were a “triumph of justice over injustice,” DPRK Minister of State Security Ri Hyon-ho said. According to him, this was a “historic event that demonstrated the strong combat brotherhood between the DPRK and Russia and the highest level of strategic cooperation, allied and fraternal relations.” As is well known, in the war with Ukraine, the DPRK is helping the Russian side with weapons, ammunition, and personnel. According to various sources, several thousand North Korean soldiers took part in the fighting in the Kursk region. (iz.ru)
Putin congratulates Aliyev on Azerbaijan’s Independence Day
Vladimir Putin congratulated his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev on Azerbaijan’s Independence Day on May 28, reported RIA Novosti. “Your country is confidently moving along the path of socio-economic development and enjoys growing authority on the world stage. Russian-Azerbaijani relations are friendly and allied in nature,” Putin said in a letter to Aliyev and expressed confidence that through joint efforts, Russia and Azerbaijan will be able to further strengthen “constructive bilateral cooperation and partnership in international affairs, which fully meets the interests of the peoples and is in line with strengthening security and stability in the South Caucasus and the Caspian region.” The letter masks a simmering tug-of-war between Baku and Moscow: the Kremlin was irked by the recent friendly reception of Ukraine’s Foreign Minister in Baku. Aliyev is pressuring Russia to admit guilt for the deadly Azal passenger plane crash, which was allegedly shot down by trigger-happy Russian air defence. (ria.ru)