State broadcaster CCTV quoted Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of Russia’s Security Council, as saying US President Donald Trump did not berate Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky enough in the altercation on Friday.
The meeting at the White House was supposed to cap a deal between Kyiv and Washington for exploitation of Ukraine’s critical minerals – a move meant to counter Chinese dominance of the supply chains.
CCTV quoted Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova as saying that Trump showed “restraint” by not hitting Zelensky during their shouting match.
“How Trump and Vance held back from hitting that scumbag is a miracle of restraint,” she said.