‘The blockade has been broken’: Donald Trump’s Ukraine comments ignite Russia’s state media

He’s never been shy about shaking up US foreign policy, but Donald Trump’s latest move has left Putin’s most loyal propagandists struggling to keep it together.

Donald Trump has never been shy about shaking up US foreign policy, but his latest move on Ukraine has left even the Kremlin’s most loyal propagandists struggling to contain their laughter.

The US President has offered Russia major concessions in its war against Ukraine — before formal peace talks with Vladimir Putin have even begun.

The message from Trump’s administration is that Kyiv should abandon any hopes of reclaiming occupied territories and snagging membership in NATO, an issue that has served as the bedrock of Russia’s conflict.

In Washington, the announcement triggered a wave of backlash against Trump, who has already been accused of refusing to treat Ukraine as an equal in his proposed negotiations.

In Moscow, Trump’s comments were cause for celebration.

A gift shop in the nation’s capital displayed traditional Russian wooden nesting dolls depicting the two Presidents side-by-side, as the world watched the pair supposedly rekindle relations.

The nation’s state media also revelled in the moment, with local 60 Minutes host Olga Skabeeva describing Trump’s position as “unthinkable” and “unimaginable”.

“What does it all mean? Ukraine is left without NATO? Ukraine is left without money?” an amused Skabeeva asked correspondent Mikhail Antonov.

Antonov boldly declared that the era of American dominance was over and that Ukraine’s war machine would soon grind to a halt, with European leaders left blindsided by the fact that they will have to financially back to Kyiv by themselves.

It’s been another huge week for Don. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)

60 Minutes host Olga Skabeeva described Trump’s position as ‘unthinkable’ and ‘unimaginable’, as fellow state-media figureheads claim the US president is doing Russia’s job for them.

Russian state-backed media figures have long speculated that Trump’s return to the White House would mean the end of American support for Ukraine.

The untold billions that have flown from the US taxpayers’ pockets to the Ukraine front has become a divisive topic in the West, and Trump, who ran his campaign on weeding out government bloat and overspending, has made it one of his missions to end the war as quickly as possible by ceasing the flow of cash to the battlefield.

But even Russian pundits are surprised by how fast the tide appears to be turning in their government’s favour.

On Wednesday’s edition of Evening With Vladimir Solovyov, Director General of Mosfilm Karen Shakhnazarov told the longtime host that Trump’s call to Putin was a “major success” and that the “blockade has been broken”.

The hyperbole was strong, with Shakhnazarov going so far as to compare it to ancient Rome.

“The president of the United States called the president of Russia. That alone is already a major success!”

“The blockade has been broken.

“It means a lot to all of them that the president of the United States, the mightiest nation in the West, as great as the Roman Empire, made this call. It’s as if Julius Caesar himself telephoned a barbarian, a chieftain of some German tribe.”

Another 60 Minutes host, Evgeny Popov, went further and said Trump’s moves have created a dream scenario for Moscow, claiming his comments are “sawing” Europe into pieces.

A gift shop in the nation’s capital displaying traditional Russian wooden nesting dolls depicting the two Presidents side-by-side. (Photo by TATYANA MAKEYEVA / AFP)

‘Capitulation’: EU in disarray after Trump remarks

There has already been strong backlash from EU leaders, who watched helplessly as Trump took it upon himself to curry favour with Putin this week. The US president boldly declared Putin would not lie to him about wanting “peace” in the region.

But exactly how that “peace” is achieved is still anyone’s guess, and European leaders are on edge.

French President Emmanuel Macron said if Ukraine did not have a strong say in the discussion to end the war, peace would amount to mere “capitulation”.

“Peace that is a capitulation would be bad news for everyone,” he said in an interview with the Financial Times.

Macron said it is essential Ukraine discusses issues of territory and sovereignty, but added that Europe still has a role to play in regional security.

“It is up to the international community, with a specific role for the Europeans, to discuss security guarantees and, more broadly, the security framework for the entire region. That is where we have a role to play,” he said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to meet US Vice President JD Vance in Germany on Friday, as Kyiv and its European allies worry Washington and Moscow will settle the conflict at their own table.

Zelensky has warned the EU cannot fill the hole that the Trump administration has created.

“There are voices which say that Europe could offer security guarantees without the Americans, and I always say no,” the Ukrainian leader told The Guardian. “Security guarantees without America are not real security guarantees.”

The US president boldly declared Putin would not lie to him about wanting ‘peace’ in the region. Meanwhile Zelensky has warned the EU cannot fund the war itself. (Photo by AFP)

EU leaders naturally have more to consider due to their proximity to the warzone, and Macron has floated a way to calm the waters with a European peacekeeping deployment once a ceasefire is reached.

“When it comes to Emmanuel’s idea, if it’s part (of a security guarantee) then yes, if there will be 100-150,000 European troops, then yes. But even then we wouldn’t be at the same level of troops as the Russian army that is opposing us,” he said.

Zelensky has admitted he has thought of a territory swap if brought to the table with Putin, but he is unwilling to say which areas of occupied territory he will be willing to let go.

“We will swap one territory for another,” he said. “We will see. But all our territories are important, there is no priority.”